Dilemma

[Oh2BeSkinny]

At 135lbs do I join the pool for £20/yr plus £2.50 each time I use it? Or do I start a 2 week VLCD for £73.99(as quoted by Slim and Save) then join the pool after the 2 weeks? I barely survive on £60 a week I think that's important to add.

 

[FeeneyFooFoo]

Hi there,

are your stats correct?

only you can decide which will be best for you x

 

[spangles]

you will undoubtedly lose weight faster on the diet, but exercise is an end in itself and is obviously more affordable. obviously you need to factor in how much you currently spend on food and drink: you'll still be spending that if you just swim, whereas part of the cost of the vlcd is taken up by your shopping bill / drinks when out and about etc.

slim and save isn't the cheapest, i believe (i think that's exante) - and it still requires you to buy veggies - whereas the other vlcds are nutritionally complete.

lastly, two weeks is a terribly short time to do a VLCD - in the first week most of your loss will be water from your glycogen stores, and that will come back pretty much straight away when you start eating carbs. that's why cambridge and other vlcds lead you through a refeeding programme a couple of months after you stop the full diet - reintroducing you to carbs gradually.

tbh - based on the info you've given us, and with money so tight, i'd probably suggest the swimming.

 

[Oh2BeSkinny]

Hi there,

are your stats correct?

only you can decide which will be best for you x

Thanks for highlighting that...I'm actually 4'11

 

[FeeneyFooFoo]

hehe, that's OK. didn't know how to ask without sounding rude if u were 4'3 - it is Very little

I agree with the advice above, maybe the swimming long term and diet change would be better, VLCD is a long term solution and if you did it for 2 weeks and came off it you wouldn't get the real benefit?

just out of interest, what attracted you to it as an option? (hope you don't mind me asking, only asking because your BMI is V close to healthy range and most of the time people seek out a plan like this as they have a lot to lose)

x

x

 

[Oh2BeSkinny]

you will undoubtedly lose weight faster on the diet, but exercise is an end in itself and is obviously more affordable. obviously you need to factor in how much you currently spend on food and drink: you'll still be spending that if you just swim, whereas part of the cost of the vlcd is taken up by your shopping bill / drinks when out and about etc.

slim and save isn't the cheapest, i believe (i think that's exante) - and it still requires you to buy veggies - whereas the other vlcds are nutritionally complete.

lastly, two weeks is a terribly short time to do a VLCD - in the first week most of your loss will be water from your glycogen stores, and that will come back pretty much straight away when you start eating carbs. that's why cambridge and other vlcds lead you through a refeeding programme a couple of months after you stop the full diet - reintroducing you to carbs gradually.

tbh - based on the info you've given us, and with money so tight, i'd probably suggest the swimming.

Thank you for your opinion. I'm on the Exante website now having put 10 vanilla shakes into the basket and the total being £23.80. I'm even more confused with what route to take.

hehe, that's OK. didn't know how to ask without sounding rude if u were 4'3 - it is Very little

I agree with the advice above, maybe the swimming long term and diet change would be better, VLCD is a long term solution and if you did it for 2 weeks and came off it you wouldn't get the real benefit?

just out of interest, what attracted you to it as an option? (hope you don't mind me asking, only asking because your BMI is V close to healthy range and most of the time people seek out a plan like this as they have a lot to lose)

x

x

35lbs is a lot of weight to lose. I'm unsure as I've never tried one before. I have read on this site the weight loss in Week 1 from some of the participants and that's all I need and could use the swimming to keep it off.

 

[FeeneyFooFoo]

well good luck with what ever option you chose

 

[spangles]

exante is the cheapest but you have to buy their bumper pack.

 

[Blue Butterfly]

If you only wanted to do a vlcd for 2 weeks with exante you can get boxes of 50 single flavour shakes (or soups) and they are half price at £59.50.
If you got a box of those then they would last you 16 days with 2 sachets left over.

 

[MinnieMel]

Hi Oh2 --

Those huge first week's losses are strongly related to the amount of weight a person needs to lose. Someone your size and weight probably does not have a very high BMR (basic metabolic rate). If you are young it will be better than otherwise, but you are very unlikely to lose a huge amount in the first week of a VLCD. I'd say not much more than 5-7 pounds and most of that will be glycogen and water which you will regain when you start eating carbs again. So, you will lose then regain... and have wasted your time and money.

Your best bet is to join the pool -- swim three times a week, eat a balanced, low carb diet (something like South Beach) and you will lose the weight and learn how to keep it off. Also drink 2 to 3 litres of water a day and that will improve your losses. For someone your size Lighter Life would not recommend a VLCD, they would encourage you to do Lighter Life Light (one meal with two shakes). The Cambridge Diet Counsultants would say the same -- CD810 or 1000. You are too close to a healthy BMI.

I have a BMI of about 27 and I am doing CD810. I have two or three CD products a day and one healthy 810 meal (some veggies and some lean protein). I am also exercising at least 3 times a week (and I wish I liked to swim because it is a great exercise).

Good Luck!