Advice needed. changing from VLCD Diet to Slimming World

[Nettyelyod]

Good evening everyone.

I am currently on a vlcd diet as advised by my doctor, only for 12 weeks though and only 4 more weeks to go. Had a reasonable weight loss, but now the doctor wants me to start on a more conventional diet. She has suggested slimming world, so after speaking to a local consultant I will be registering on 1 January 2014 (yes I did say 1 January). My vlcd diet finishes on the 17 December and I will be having a Christmas dinner, Boxing Day Dinner and New Year Dinner, which I am all really looking forward to. I am aware that I may put a little back on due the nature of the vlcd, meaning very little carbs, so the gain (hopefully) will just be water. How can I limit the damage as much as possible before I start Slimming World in January? My consultant is going to check with Slimming World and other consultants, but in the meantime, I was wondering if all you knowledgeable people have any ideas or suggestions to help me on my way.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post and I look forward to any ideas or suggestions you may have.

Netsy

 

[Gwella]

For someone who doesn't have access to the full plan yet, my top tip would be eat as much fresh/frozen fruit and veg as possible. Fill up a third of each plate with that and you will eat fewer carbs/calories than you might otherwise, even though more than on the VLCD. Also try to use fresh/frozen fruit and veg as snacks whenever you can.

Other than that, the carbs you need to limit are flours, cereals and bread, but you are allowed a small portion of brown bread or cereal each day for fibre.

Apart from that during the switchover I guess it's just a matter of re-introducing your calories slowly after the VLCD (cream, cheese, pastries, fried food, sugars, processed foods and alcohol in particular). Or you might want to just try to switch to SW-type portions immediately over Christmas as this will help you enjoy the season and most people expect a little gain over Christmas anyway!

A couple of things I found very helpful though you probably know already from the VLCD: a) If you drink, keep a close eye on alcohol consumption as it will both pile on calories and reduce your self-control. b) Secondly, switch from using cooking oil/butter to a low-cal spray (Frylight for example).

To avoid a water gain you need to drink lots of water! Also avoid alcohol and too much salt as far as possible.

Good luck with your preparations and for your new lifestyle in the New Year! Great that you're thinking ahead and not just 'leaving it til January'!