Combining 'normal food' with LL packs?

[fatpossum]

The counsellor has indicated that if we eat 'normal food' while on the LL packs (I am currently on Foundation) that rapid weight gain is the likely result.

I have no intention to stuff but I have a function coming up the the next few weeks and have no intention of sitting there with a glass of water and a LL pack!

Has anyone had experience of combining - I do not want to undo 'the good work'.

Comments welcomed.

 

[tommee2004]

Eating is simply not part of this programme.

We all know its hard, but please, please try to survive the function.

Its really not worth jepordising your weight loss with eating food as you will be taken out of Ketosis, and its often harder to do something for a second time... You may get into the habit of thinking, oh its OK, i'll start LL again tomorrow.

My advice, try not too eat anything whilst doing LL.

I haven't touched a single THING, and my loss has been FAST and incredible. Stick to the programme.

 

[AmandaJayne]

I have to agree with Tommee, fatpossum.

LL is not like any other weight loss programme you have ever done.

You commit to drinking at least 4 litres of water every day for 100 day.
You commit to eating four packs (female) a day every day for 100 days.
You commit to attend every meeting and take part in the counselling for the 100 days.

That's all.


"...........I have no intention to stuff but I have a function coming up the the next few weeks and have no intention of sitting there with a glass of water and a LL pack!"

I've got to ask, why are you doing LL if you feel you cannot deal with a social situation without eating?

Perhaps CD would be a better option. It is slightly different from LL because on certain weeks you can eat a bit of protein. There is no CBT group counselling either, and it is about half the cost.

However, you chose LL for a reason, perhaps it was because of the counselling? I certainly found it was a crucial reason why I chose LL over CD. It worked for me, but I stayed 100% abstinent throughout the whole thing, it seemed short-sighted to eat at social occasions or holidays because it would make the whole thing go on for much longer.

I SSed for birthdays, Christmas and New Year, parties, holiday abroad, you name it - I did not eat once. At £66 per week I had no intention of scewing it up by eating!

Please do reconsider your decision, fatpossom. It IS possible to survive social situations without eating real food. There's lots of us on this site who have found a way. I was reading a post from another member yesterday who holidayed in Sri Lanka for five weeks and didn't eat real food the whole time! That's real committment!

I hope you get some feedback from members who HAVE eaten while doing LL, their perspective will be particularly useful, I think.

 

[littleblue]

I explained on another thread how I had something to eat on Friday. I have had an awful time since. The cravings have been almost unmanageable, I have been hungry and bad tempered, and have really lost my motivation. I gave in again on Monday, for no good reason and, despite the fact that I had very little to eat (a couple of sandwiches and a couple of strawberries) I am STILL not back in ketosis.(Wednesday night)
The chatterbox is going big time and I am finding food hard to resist, this is so much harder than week 1, when my motivation was so high I could cope with anything.

Don't forget that by eating, even just a little, your body goes into the famine/feast mode and starts storing everything as fat. trust me, it really isn't worth it.

 

[fatpossum]

Thank You

Hi AmandaJayne, Little Blue and Tommee,

Thank you for your comments but perhaps I need to clarify. I have not said that I 'cannot deal with a social situations without eating' I asked if anyone knew about the impact of combinging LL with 'normal foods'.

Unlike many people I have chosen not to broadcast my decision to do this extreme diet with family and friends. I see it as a private matter. Likewise I do not intend to lie to people about why I am not eating or pretend that I am. So I need to find a middle ground and so I just wanted some information about chemical reactions - or to know if there are any.

I am delighted and encouraged to hear of your success with the diet and I anticipate that I too enjoy positive outcomes. But we're all different.

 

[icemoose]

Hiya FP

The reality is that if you eat "normally" and reintroduce carbs into your diet then you will knock yourself out of ketosis, this will mean you will be very hungry for a period of hours/days and it is very common then to struggle to get back to abstinance.

On top of that if you eat carbs you will refill your glycogen stores which in turn holds water so in theory you will gain a quick dramatic amount but this should be remembered that it isn't fat and that it is merely water and sugar (although the scales will still read heavy which can demotivate).

My advice also is to stick to the programme, if you don't want your F&F to know then maybe just for the evening say that you have a bad tummy or something like that, remember though that with the dramatic weightloss on the programme you won't be able to keep it quiet for more than 3 or 4 weeks as it will be very obvious you are shrinking and people will ask.

I would definately discuss this with your LL counsellor and explain your situation as part of the cost with LL is the for the support and the counselling element.

M.

 

[fatpossum]

Thanks!

Thank you Icemoose - your response was exactly what I was hoping for and provided me with the information I was seeking.

I appreciate your advice and shall keep the matter 'under review'.

I don't really see my LL counsellor as a particulary good source of support - I know that that sounds ironic given the importance of the couselling element but there are horses for courses and I don't think counselling is her forte!

But let me reassure everyone that I am 'normal food' abstinent and have been from the outset.

Kind regards.

 

[VirgoGirl]

So, here's my take on it.

I managed to avoid food, parties, meals and family gatherings. Excuses got ever-more imaginative and people who I chose not to tell about LL did voice concerns. They were mostly fobbed off with 'crash-dieting for wedding' excuses, which is pretty much true!

But, I went to Ireland last weekend for a friend's wedding. They had gone to a lot of trouble, and expense, to provide food and I felt it rude to ignore the food completely.

So, I ate the meal. Not all of it (although I got carried away and had more pudding than I intended) but half of the starter and main courses. However, I didn't drink. A glass of champagne was thrust at me, and for the toasts I raised it to my lips, but didn't have any.

I was not knocked out of ketosis. It reduced my wee-stick colour down to 'traces' but I didn't go completely.

The hardest thing was keeping it as a one-off. I found it really tricky for the next few days, not to have 'just a little bit' of something.

It happened to be my 'milk week' so I treated the food as my extra calories instead of having milk.

You might consider sticking to Atkins-y principles and eat the protein but avoid as much of the carbs as poss.

 

[Heaven can wait]

Hi
I was just about to say that, just stick to protein and green leaves if you can , and sparkling water in a wine glass, if you want to blend in and not bring attention to yourself. When Ive been to functions, Ive noticed that a lot of people dont actaully eat much, (wheras Ive eaten all mine and looking for more LOL) No one will notice, people are usually chatting and men dont look at anything other than your cleavage and the women are all worrying about what they look like so believe me your plate wont be of any interest to them.
So you could use that stratedgy as Ice moose has given you an idea of what the likely outcome will be. If your intention is to try and get through it without risking your plans success then the above may work, but if you really would feel deprived and DONT WANT to stick to the plan then you may think the risks are worth it.
I know it sounds a preachy when people say Oh just dont do it, but they have your best interests at heart hun, but the choice is yours.
Have fun whatever you decide, and let us know how you got on.
X c

 

[Mrs Lard]

Hello FP

Not sure if this helps but I have also kept very quiet about doing LL and have only told people if it's obvious.

I totally agree with IceMoose (message to IM - your blog was inspirational as I was preparing and starting LL so thank you!) - you can say you have an upset tummy. That's what happened to me - I used that excuse in the first week except it was true!

I also went to a funeral and drank water; no one noticed. I sat through a three course meal, which was hard but...achievable and as all the others have said, it's amazing how people really don't notice whether you eat or not. Another option would be to order the food but not touch it - just move it around. Again, I wouldn't have believed it possible until I had done it myself.

(I have eaten - while on holiday - but only tiny amounts and checked constantly that I was still in ketosis. I had great support from other LL bloggers while I was away but there is no denying that getting back into the regime is hard. Not impossible but hard. I felt I should be honest here.)

But the very best strategy, I have found, is to say that I am on medically prescribed regime/diet/programme. As soon as you say the word medical, most people don't want to pry. You can talk about how lovely the food looks and how pleased you'll be to enjoy such things when your doctor gives you the ok. The other strategy used by one of my husband's colleagues was to skip the meal by having to deal with an urgent phone call.

I was obsessed - at the beginning - and worried about keeping LL to myself because I didn't want all the questions about what I was doing (some people don't mind and are proud to talk about LL, which I admire). I hope you find a solution that really works for you.

Good luck.

Mrs L xx