Total Solution Aaron's Exante Diary

Really glad you are going to post through maintenance. It's really useful to those of us who follow. Thank you.

Ali
 
Really happy for you arron and slightly jealous lol x
 
Well guys, weigh in day, after a full week of eating normal (healthy) food with a bit of exercise here and there and having Exante porridge for my breakfast I had a 2.4lbs gain, I am confident that this will be gone next week as I'm sure its not fat - still a bit weird (and scary!) to see though isn't it?!

Sticking to the salads, lean meat and low fat sauces for this next week and hopefully gonna get quite a bit of exercise in so quite excited to see how next week's weigh in goes!

Just realised the +lbs on my signature is a total combo breaker! lol :D ah well, off out to take the dog for a walk soon... Have an amazing route planned!!! Gonna be fantastic! Yay :D
 
Hey Aaron,

I'm pretty new around here, although have been a member for quite some time as I've had reletive success dieting in the past.

Pretty interested in TFR/VLCD from a research point of view and how they can positively influence someone's life in such a short space of time.

Having had a quick peek through your journal it's quite clear what a positive impact this diet has had on all aspects of your life.

Just wanted to thank you for keeping such a detailed log which is an interesting read and must motivate everyone looking for answers as what they can achieve with persistentance.

:)
 
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Thank you very much, Exante has indeed impacted my life quite radically! I'm glad my diary is helpful for other people too :)

Decided this week I'm going to hit the gym pretty hard, I wouldn't say I've had a bad weekend, but it certainly could have been better food wise! Going to eat as healthily as possible this week being very strict with my calorie counting too.
 
I think I need to get gym membership!
 
Found this today on a pretty good fitness website...

I know many people will say "I can't eat my exercise calories, I gain weight when I do". Well I have news for you, that's not correct. I submit this, if you eat your exercise calories and gain weight 1 of 3 things happened:
1 you were previously in starvation mode, and you upped your calories, and had an immediate weight gain, that's normal, to be expected, and necessary to get your body on track. Give it a month, that will stop, and you, once again, will begin to lose, but this time, in a healthy manner.
2 you incorrectly calculated something, either your exercise calories, your calorie intake, or you put in to large of a goal. Go back and check all your numbers.
3 you haven't given it enough time to work. This site promotes HEALTHY weight loss people. Healthy weight loss doesn't happen in days or weeks, it takes months and years. Each change you make in how you eat needs a month or more to work, be patient, give it time. It will happen.

So, you know that you've calculated your calories right and eating at that couldn't scientifically make you put on real weight. So I reckon you're number 1, your body has got used to having very little and slowed right down. Just thought I'd share it and try to encourage you so you know you're doing ok! :)
 
Good post Caz, I really do hope that is the case. I haven't posted here in a few days but guys let me tell you - maintenance is no walk in the park. Noticed I used the word MAINTENANCE?! Lol, I actually still have weight to lose but right now I am struggling to maintain!!!

I am eating salads, lean meats, fruits and still having an Exante porridge for breakfast. I am also exercising at least 3 times a week including going to the gym and having walks with the dog. (I must admit that not every single meal that I eat is not an A* meal, but I AM hovering between 1400 and 1700 calories each day!)

I am also using MyFitnessPal which helps track calories and what not, actually very useful - almost essential, really! I have also bought myself a heart rate monitor just so I can keep track of my calories burned and what not.

But yeah, if what Caroline posts IS true, then I am hoping that soon (tomorrow please?! TODAY PLEASE?!?!) my weight will stabilise and stop going up lol. How can I be gaining fat from eating salads?!!? Aghhh.

Exante was the easy part, now this truly is the hard part. Gonna have amazingly healthy food this weekend and I'm also gonna walk/jog a fair distance. Need to keep up what I've been doing and not get overwhelmed by the shock of weight gain...
 
Wow Aaron, really interesting. Thanks for being so honest.

I am coming off Exante for just over two weeks at end of March for a friends wedding then going abroad on holiday. I intent to start back on Exante the minute I am home. But the closer my holiday gets, the more worried I am about gaining loads of weight in that time. :(

You are doing amazingly well, keep it going :) x
 
I have just read through your diary you have done so well! You are right about the maintenance being hard - this is where I think most of us have found it impossible - good luck and keep writing as your journey is so inspiring
 
Wow Aaron, really interesting. Thanks for being so honest.

I am coming off Exante for just over two weeks at end of March for a friends wedding then going abroad on holiday. I intent to start back on Exante the minute I am home. But the closer my holiday gets, the more worried I am about gaining loads of weight in that time. :(

You are doing amazingly well, keep it going :) x

I wouldn't worry about it too much, you will gain weight only a small amount of that will probably be fat (if any at all!) :) just enjoy your holiday, but be ready for a bit of a mental battle with food once you're ready to get back on :)

Just make the healthy choices but that is really hard on holiday and rightly so I suppose, you should enjoy yourself but just keep in mind Exante will be waiting! lol

I have just read through your diary you have done so well! You are right about the maintenance being hard - this is where I think most of us have found it impossible - good luck and keep writing as your journey is so inspiring

Thank you very much faloola, I will keep going with this diary :) I love writing in it, and I haven't quite finished my weight loss journey yet either. Because I lost weight with Exante, and now with calorie counting, does that make me an Exante maintainer or a calorie counting maintainer? lol

Either way, I'm going to keep it off this year, no matter how hard it is :D
 
So, end of week 13 - now 2 weeks after I've finished Exante, and I've gained AGAIN. 2.8lbs this time, what the hell guys!

Anyway, went to the gym yesterday with my new heart rate monitor and pounded it out for over an hour and lost around 900 calories. Went for a huge 2 hour walk with bits of jogging up the moors today and burnt over 1100, I can't really do much more than that so I'll keep doing what I'm doing. I can't wait til the scales stop going up. Its really embaressing to keep posting my gains on here :( especially after how well I did.

My waist isn't getting any bigger anyway :) so I'm not too worried about the numbers on the scales just yet...
 
Good morning Lovely Aaron. You have done an awesome job shedding the weight.

How frustrating to be ticking up. Last week it was highly likely that you would have a small gain as the glycogen rebuilds. It's now the real work begins of learning a different way of being and eating to stay healthy and happy.

I have been thinking hard about how we keep it off. I have several thoughts for you to explore.

Have you measured yourself? Use a tape measure as muscle weighs more than fat - so upwards ticks in lbs maybe muscle not fat.

What way of eating have you adopted? Are you calorie counting, doing slimming world on line or maybe exploring paleo eating (no ready made products, low starch with no bread etc, and lots of veggies, meats, fish and some nuts and berries, and some use dairy)? See Dr Eenefldt's blog Diet Doctor - Real food, better health for more info on Paleo. Portion control still matters - I lost weight last summer and started Alizonne as I wanted to be faster. In retrospect, I was eating far too much and would have had great results if I had more veggies/salad and had eaten fewer nuts, had no alcohol and managed my protein portions.

Tracking on line your chosen way of eating will help you stay as accountable to yourself as you have been on Exante. Post your food diary on here or go to My fitness pal and do it there. We have spent years living and eating in a way that got us fat. So it will take time to establish and make natural the new way of living. So this needs you attention for thye rest of this year and probably beyond.

Mindset: take a look at Slimpods, other MP3s and CDs that help us eat mindfully, and consider doing The Beck Solution book.

Planning: put attention onto what you will eat when - even planning in advance so you have what you need at home and work to help you stay on track with the new way of eating you are choosing to follow. If the transition is tough, maybe consider doing S&S or one of the meal replacements for lunch, and a main meal for a few weeks, then adding in breakfast and some protein snacks for some more weeks then re-introducing lunch.

Quite a few Miniminsters are using My Fitness Pal to track their way of eating. You can amend it so it tracks carbs or whatever is important to your chosen way.

Finally - play! Play with your girlfriend, play with Hugo, play with friends and have fun!

Good liuck and keep posting,
 
First of all - what a lovely post by Ali! Full of great advice.

I have no words of wisdom Aaron. All I can stay is please, please don't get disheartened. You have done amazingly well and you body is probably just adjusting to your new eating pattern. Wish I had the energy to do the exercise you are doing. I went to the gym last night. Was on the treadmill for half an hour and then swam for 45 mins.......came home knackered but contented.

Keep focused and as Ali said, enjoy life. X
 
Hey guys,

Thanks very much for that nice post Ali! Very nice! I will check out the blog you posted. I already have a MFP account which I have found invaluable recently, have some nice guys on my friends list over there who are very helpful, informative and supportive so I have that base covered. I have recently started placing orders for graze boxes (google them if you are interested) which should help with my snacking as I know exactly what I'm putting in my mouth. I'm currently sat at work writing this with a 190 calorie ham and egg salad, a coke zero and a bowl of fruit (just incase!).

I definitely have a different lifestyle than to the one I had before Exante. I'm taking the stairs (if they are there), I'm walking further and more often (even jogging!), and I'm trying to go to the gym as often as I can. I've recently started the C25k program and I'm almost at the end of my 1st week! Its quite fun. :)

Anyway, thank you guys for posting, it means a lot that even after Exante I can still receive support from you guys! I will make sure I keep you up to date with my struggles and hopefully my accomplishments!
 
Good plan, Aaron. You'll soon adjust to how much you can eat and manitain. And it's fabulous that you have new habits like taking the stairs. Keep posting and I'll see you on MFP soon.
 
I had a weigh in today, 2 days earlier than what I usually do (usually have them on Saturday) and I've lost 1/5th of a pound! Lol, it isn't much of a loss, but its in the right direction, and after the last 2 weeks of gains its very nice to see some good news on the scales for a change!

I'm in London with Caroline for a couple of days this weekend, but I'm going to try my best to keep it sensible and healthy. Next week the scales will show a decent loss. Seeing this today has shown me that all hope is not lost and it is possible!!!
 
AaronCampbell said:
I had a weigh in today, 2 days earlier than what I usually do (usually have them on Saturday) and I've lost 1/5th of a pound! Lol, it isn't much of a loss, but its in the right direction, and after the last 2 weeks of gains its very nice to see some good news on the scales for a change!

I'm in London with Caroline for a couple of days this weekend, but I'm going to try my best to keep it sensible and healthy. Next week the scales will show a decent loss. Seeing this today has shown me that all hope is not lost and it is possible!!!

Yay wooooo for it going in the right direction :)
 
I love that you are the sort of guy who notices 200grammes - and celebrates it. That's the attitude that will help you maintain. I wish you both a happy healthy sunny maintaining London trip.
 
Wooooo hooooooo! Good for you. Enjoy London ;)
 
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