Chicken ceasar salad

[Dez]

I've been on Lipotrim for 4 weeks and not cheated even once. However, since about 9 days in I have craved chicken ceasar salad with nandos extra hot sauce but no croutons. I dream chicken ceasar salad! After about 15 days it calmed a little for about 4 days but here it is again! I cannot get this out of my head, I am salivating at the thought! I craved it that much I found myself cooking it for my hubby and daughter on more than one occaision.

I don't think it helps that I am really hungry ... a lot! Ketosis is suposed to curb your apetite however I am not finding that very much. I have been getting so cranky cause I'm so hungry too. I get very light headed too which does get better for a couple of hours after I have had a shake so I know it is to do with lack of nutrients. I wonder if this is why I keep craving chicken ceasar salad - hardly an unhealthy meal!

I drink lots of water - still and sparkling, black coffee and peppermint tea which is not helping to curb the hunger or the craving.

I don't want to break the diet; I have far too much to lose but I don't want to feel unwell either. This is the only diet, so far, where I have actually been losing weight significantly, my motivation has not dropped at all.

I am wondering though if the craving is my body's way of telling me I need something more in my diet . If this is the case, should I add a small chicken ceasar salad to my diet, say, once a month? I know it won't knock me out of ketosis as it is high protein and very low carbs.

I'm having real trouble with this. What do you all think?

 

[summergurl]

Chicken ceaser sald NO NO NO!!!! Have you seen how many calories can be in one of them????

I think tbh your just going through a hard time.

If you reaaaalllly feel like you cant go on any more and truely need something then have something like a steamed bit of fish and green beans.

My advise though, stick with it. Drink more water even if you are drinking lots of tea and coffee too make sure you get 2litres pure water (i know black coffee & tea do count towards daily intake though)

 

[Dez]

Thanks for your advice. Unfortunately I don't like fish. In anycase, the chicken ceasar salad recipe I had in mind is this: small skinless chicken breast marinated in piri piri sauce and steamed in foil in the oven and placed on a bed of mixed baby green leaves that have been tossed in 1 tbs cesar dressing. I didn't plan on adding cheese or egg or anything else. The calories are actually not very high. probably around 200 - 220 calories.

I actually forgot that most people add lots of fattening stuff to ceasar salad.

I actually already drink around 4 litres of water a day already. The coffee and leaf teas are on top of this.

 

[summergurl]

Wow, so youre already drinking alot!

I love my chicken cooked this way too - i have it with fresh lemon slices but that could take you out of ketosis.

I'd say if you did want to eat cook the chicken in foil - no juices or water needed you could add dry spices and the leaves etc are all good but be wary of the ceasar dressing.

If anything try some low fat mayo.

I was thinking youd go and buy a ceaser salad out somewhere! It always amazes me that so many calories can be in a salad!

 

[Dez]

Thank you for helping me sound this out - it has helped. Although I haven't made a definite decision, if I do decide to plan a meal per month, I think I'll time it around TOTM time when I'm most hungry.

I figured if I was to plan to have a meal I'd best be in control of the ingredients and the calories etc, though eating out at Nandos did sound very appealing, lol.

I was thinking that I make some mayo using extra virgin olive oil and eggs with maybe some garlic and black pepper, hence no carbs! This should maximise the nutrients too rather than have the prepacked stuff!

I know it sounds good to have the low fat mayo but it contains more carbs which could knock me out of ketosis so probably not a good idea. At least the fats from the olive oil would be good fats and should make the mayo have a lovely flavour.

I think you are right about the number of calories that can be in a dressing - have you ever read the labels of the prepacked convenience salads and pasta salads! Some of them are so high and not always that filling neither! Once I realised how much rubbish was in them I stopped buying them.

 

[Tarragon]

I am doing w8 another vlcd, but have done lipotrim in the past. I know that to maintain the best losses you shouldn't add anything, but this time round I decided to have a green salad around TOTM if I couldn't cope. I don't always need it, but the fact I "can" has really helped me to curb those cravings. I wish I had done this with lipotrim, as I may have stuck to it?
Better that than dropping off the diet, but only you will know what is best for you.
Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[irish molly]

I don't know if that is wise at all. There are desperately tough days on LT. It can be easy to try and rationalise for ourselves that we might feel better if we have a little of this or that.
Bear the following in mind:
This is a medically supervised diet and it includes all our required nutrition, totm or otherwise.
Crankiness, headaches, tiredness etc all come with the territory. We must learn to cope with these without food.
Using food for comfort is not a good plan if we are overeaters in general. (anyone on LT is an overeater)

Sorry to be firm about it! When you feel bad, treat yourself in a different way. A nice bath, give yourself a facial, watch a fav programme on the telly/dvd whatever so long as it does not include food. Then this will be a new habit formed for when you are back in the big bad world of food.
Hope you feel better soon. Chin up!!!

 

[yummy mummy 2 be]

i wouldnt advise eating anything untill ur ready to refeed cus as irish molly says it will just be for comfort and thats a habbit we are all trying 2 break.i hope ur cravings curb soon and u keep on losing xx

 

[Dez]

Thank you for your thoughts. They make interesting reading. In the main I think the advice seems sound; I especially take notice of Molly given her experience and fantastic weight loss.

So far I haven't cheated or had the planned meal. I'm inclined to agree with Nikki, in as much if I know I can have a meal because it is planned then a) I have something to focus on when I don't feel well, b) I'm more likely to stick to LT and finally c) If I don't feel I need it then I won't have it.

I don't see having the Chicken salad as a treat, not at all, and certainly not comfort food more of a way to ensure that I am actually getting all the nutrients I need. If I wanted comfort food or a treat, trust me it would be lamb rogan josh from our local indian - my absolute favourite food. I have tried distraction in sorts of ways but this does not address the lightheadedness only distracts the cravings.

LT themselves state that each person is an individual and copes and reacts to Lipotrim differently - this can easily be seen by the differing weight losses that people experience whilst we are all on the same amount of calories. I appreciate that LT is suposed to have all the necessary nutritional requirements we are suposed to need but each of us is different and we need different nutrients at different times. LT does not allow for that. Actually I question that is has all the necessary nutritional requirements anyhow, although I certainly believe it does have the vast majority of of our requirements. Whilst I am no scientist I am aware of at least one example of something definitely missing from LT - Omega 6; coincidently contained in the extra virgin olive oil I was planning to make the mayo from.

Lots of people report that they feel better, even energetic after the initial couple of weeks of Lipotrim in terms of lightheadedness, headaches etc where as I do not. I never had the headaches or felt ill in the first week, second week was the worst but it was TOTM and it lasted longer and was heavier than normal. Since week 2 I have been lightheaded. Surely a month into LT I should not be feeling this. I can live with the hunger, the crankiness and even the cravings but I really worry about the lightheadedness.

I guess this could sound like I am justifying a reason to have a meal but really I am genuinely concerned as to why I am still feeling lightheaded, sometimes to the point where I think I might faint. I am trying to listen to what my body needs not what my head thinks my body should have. Does that make sense?

 

[Dez]

Whoops, sorry for going on a bit! I hadn't realised I had written so much.

 

[nicki26]

Hi, i dont think you should eat at all, it is a total food replacement diet after all and a chance for us to take a step back and look at the different reasons why we eat, it is usually boredom or comfort not often genuine hunger....

if you feel that you arent getting enough nutrients then maybe go and ask advise from your pharmacist but i really dont see how caesar salad once a month will make a difference???

I often found myself mentally arguing with myself the first time i did lipotrim for the first couple of weeks, i was thinking of different reasons as to why i needed to eat trying to convince myself that it was what i needed to do but it soon passed and i was ok again, everyone feels low,weak and tired at times during lipotrim,it is a big change for your body to go through but it is worth it in the long run...i also think that if you eat something you are going to struggle to get back into just having the shakes and then it will be even harder. Good luck with whatever you decide to do

 

[nicki26]

also the light head tends to be more low blood pressure related,eating wont help that i got it throughout my 5 and a half months on liptorim last time,especially if i stood up for 2 long or got up 2 quickly... good luck x

 

[Dez]

Thanks Nicki.

I am not looking for a reason to eat - I just want to feel well which I haven't done for 3 1/2 of the 4 weeks I have been on LT! However, I hadn't considered my blood pressure! I don't have high pressure normally so perhaps you could be right if my blood pressure has lowered too far that could cause the lightheadedness. I will investigate this and let you know if the lightheadedness is down to that.

 

[Ellebirdy]

I am not looking for a reason to eat - I just want to feel well which I haven't done for 3 1/2 of the 4 weeks I have been on LT! However, I hadn't considered my blood pressure! I don't have high pressure normally so perhaps you could be right if my blood pressure has lowered too far that could cause the lightheadedness. I will investigate this and let you know if the lightheadedness is down to that.

Hiya hun, I have only been on LT for a little while (just started week 3) and when I feel light headed it's because my blood sugar is low usually around 3.5-4.0.
Had my blood pressure checked at the docs and its just fine, maybe this is something you could look at it's easy enough to get checked (my hubby is type 1 diabetic so I cheat and use his machine) the pharmacy or if not then the nurse at your docs can check it for you.
Hope this helps hunni.
x

 

[irish molly]

Second the previous post. You should discuss this with your pharmacist or doctor. They are the medics after all. take good care of yourself.

 

[Dez]

Thank you Ellebirdy and Molly, I will ask my lady at the chemist to check. However she has never checked my blood pressure before so am not sure she can, not sure about the blood sugar either. I will see her on Wednesday and will ask. Failing that I guess it's a trip to the doctors - I just hope they have a later evening surgery as I get back late from work. I'll let you what happens.

 

[nicki26]

hiya, did you have any luck hun? i hope you are feeling better x

 

[Dez]

Hi Nikki, thank you for asking.

I'd forgotten that my hubby had a blood pressure machine for monitoring his blood pressure when it was high - though thankfully it is stable and normal at the moment. Anyway I have checked my blood pressure at different times of the day and it is pretty normal at around 130/90 so that eliminates that as a cause of my lightheadedness.

I'm still lacking in energy and I feel lightheaded a lot. I definitely feel worse about 2 - 4 hours after a shake/soup which gets better for a while after I have a shake/soup. I still think this is food related - as to whether it is blood sugar or a deficiency or something else, I don't know.

I will see the chemist tomorrow after work and see what she has to say. I'll ask about the blood sugar or any possible deficiency.

I still haven't eaten anything, although how I didn't on Saturday night, I really don't know. OH and I went to a party - I was in the kitchen most of the evening surrounded by lots of yummy buffet food and drink!!! All I had was coffee! I was starving by the time I got home and I'd had all my allocated shakes! I sulked and went to bed!

 

[nicki26]

well done hun!!!!! may be the sugar levels then,makes sense i suppose x

 

[Dez]

I didn't get to the chemist until today. She asked me all the usual questions about when I have my shakes, if I still drink coffee and about my blood pressure. I feel really bad today too ( I thought I would faint several times today) - made worse because I'm due on.

She said I might have to come off LT. She asked me see how I get on over the next few days but if I get any worse especially once I do come on then I should have a small meal in place of one of my shakes - would you believe - exactly what I have been craving - chicken caesar salad with loads of dark green leaves and without the bad stuff.

She also said I should have had a surge of energy because of all the B vitamins that are in LT but as you know I haven't had that at all. I really don't want to come off because it is weight loss program that actually works!

So I'm feeling pretty low at the moment. I don't know what I'll do if I can't stay on LT!