Here comes the BOOM!

#GymBunny

#gymrat
Hello all (any) readers and welcome to my diary.

I’m new to Exante but not to dieting or VLCDs unfortunately. Spent much of my adult life fretting about my weight while getting steadily bigger. Realised that WW and SW and all those sorts of diets just aren't for me and that brute determination and removal of food was the only way I could do it. So after many years of failing I shed a load of weight on SnS and was so much happier. Spent 6 days out of 7 in the gym and loved how muscular I was getting. The excess skin let me down though and so I decided that I would need surgery. That was a thought at the time and no action taken as I fell pregnant. No excuses, I felt sick every waking hour for 20 weeks and sincerely, the only thing that would stop the sickness was eating - and carbs at that! When I finally stopped feeling sick, the habit was there and I’m a true binge eater when not in the zone. I binged for the remainder of the pregnancy and ended at 18.5 stone!

I went back to SnS and lost 8 stone in 8 months. Gyming it again and eating normally and actually quite a lot as my gym sessions allowed it. A good mix of low carb, high protein with some enjoyment mixed in. A good 80/20 split. I was literally living the dream and thinking about surgery.

Then disaster (to me) my new job meant longer hours and less flexibility so I lost 4 of the 6 gym sessions. Then I injured my shoulder which took me out for the rest. I love the gym so much I hadn’t realised and slowly (quite quickly actually) became down and started eating. Binge eating. Four months solid. Given the volume I was eating it’s amazing I’ve only put on 2 stone but it’s there and after being thin (apart from the loose skin) it feels terrible. I’m back on VLCD but Exante this time as tried SnS restarts so many times I just needed a mental change. So here I am.

I’m now back at the gym 4 days a week as that is all work will allow. Sunday is a double class so could count as 5 and the others are heavy weight lifting sessions. I have four packs on those days. A conscious, planned decision - for fuel and nothing else.

My surgery will go ahead once I have got down to my ideal weight plus another 7lbs. So aiming for 9 stone which should also allow for fluctaution back up when returning to ‘normal’.

I started this Monday and first weigh in will be Monday morning. I didn’t weigh at the start as I just wanted to get on with it as the decision had been made. This morning I weighed in at 11s 4.2lbs. If I’m that weight on Monday then that is fine as I know I must have been higher before I started as I binge ate to the end - partially why the decision was so abrupt - just got sick of it all.

Anyway, sorry, long intro but wanted it all down for my own reflections.

I’ve been reading all the diaries in the last few days and many are inspiring. Seems like a quiet forum but if that’s the case, I’ll just ramble alone and at varying intervals.

Thanks for reading if you got this far. If not, thanks for scrolling to the end :D

Off to the gym now. Back and biceps tonight - whoop!
 
Hi, I’m also a newbie to exante (week 5 for me) and vlcds lol your story is amazing at how far you’ve come already, welcome there are many people on the forum who have brilliant advice and support
 
Hi Comet and thanks for the welcome :)

You’ve done brilliantly in five weeks. Are you in the zone? I usually feel almost euphoric at that stage of a diet. I’m almost to that point now but need a few more days to be really ‘there’.

Do you have any particular favourites? I’m still working my way through the items I selected and deciding what I like - that will no doubt change over time. I try to buy a variety but more often than not, I end up with a small selection of ‘go to’ packs.

I’m two packs down today and waiting out to have my bar. Chocolate caramel or something. A new one for me and I have high hopes :)
 
Lol I would say I’m in the zone and enjoying it except today 🙈 I had some bbq chicken and a few licks of my toddlers ice cream,
My fav products would have to be all the shakes except caramel, lemon cheesecake. And bars I love caramel crunch, raspberry white choc, peanut butter, dhaal pots with some chilli added and sweet and sour noodles with chilli is palatable I just ordered 2 of everything first time and wrote down what I liked and didn’t so next order was things I know I’ll stick to
How was the caramel crunch bar?
 
Hiiiiii - welcome, thank you for your story :) I'm very much looking forward to reading your rambling! I'm also new to Exante through not VLCDs. I lost a lot on CWP a while back but had no notion of how to do maintenance or what it even meant ... sooo ... I crept back up. I've never been much of a gym bunny, though, fat or thin. I have finally understood that, once I slim down, I need to start building exercise into my routine but currently I'm too fat to cope with it. I might trouble you for advice when I get down there though.

I'm just coming up to two weeks on Exante (although truthfully I do a range of VLCD products, but mainly Exante) and I think I've hit the zone. I'm hungry occasionally (or at least phantom hungry, when you I think you get hungry for the act of eating not actual food) but the idea of cheating or breaking seems calamitous to me right now. So hopefully that'll motivate me to stick to it.

I've also tried some SnS products and found them pretty dire - so maybe Exante has spoiled me. There's definitely some things I prefer to others, but I've never eaten anything repulsive by them yet. I pretty much echo Comet in what's good, although I also hear good things about fajitas so I'm looking forward to trying them!
 
Ooops, Comet, at least it was protein for the most part. It’s so hard with a little one. I made mine a steak today and he didn’t finish it. I didn’t do it but would be far too easy just to finish it off - that and his buttered potatoes! He’s a good eater generally so I’m lucky. My son had ice cream the other day and the spillages I’d usually lick up - bit of a pain to get a wet wipe out every two seconds to clean up his cone so it doesn’t get everywhere. There is a practicality to eating which is frustrating when on such a strict plan :D

The caramel crunch got better and better with every mouthful. I liked the saltiness. It’s my number one right now :)

Hi Casting, thanks for the warm welcome. I was on SnS when they were (to my knowledge) the only company to do more than shakes and bars and I stuck with them through ignorance I guess. I don’t mind their products but exante is cheaper and actually really nice in comparison. I pretty much consider all these plans as ‘taking my medicine’ as it’s hardly gourmet but I can’t complain too much as there’s a good selection that I don’t detest.

I’d be more than happy to offer advice on exercise as far as my knowledge will allow - I could talk about it for hours which is how much I enjoy it. The main thing that has stuck with me and been true for me is that having more muscle burns more even when sedentary. I used this to my advantage when at goal and had no issues maintaining. I wouldn’t scoff entire 12 packs of crisps as I just wasn’t as interested in binging but I certainly didn’t go without and didn’t really have small portions of anything and that was/is thanks to the muscle. I despise cardio and was really pleased to learn that by weight training, I could continue to enjoy food and stay slim. Who’d have thought?! And the bonus is I love it. I’ll confess I don’t do cardio. It’s not bad and I should probably partake but I don’t feel I really need it in my life. I raise my heart rate when weight training so I’m not losing out there. I personally beleive, what’s the point of running for 30 minutes to warrant to eat an ice cream when I can do weight training and, over time, be able to burn an ice cream while sleeping due to the muscle. Give a man a fish etc etc. I swear the muscle prevented me from putting on double what I have. I was probably eating 5-10k calories each day for four months, so really going for it. Anyway, the above is personal opinion and choice. When you decide to start exercising, you’ll find what suits you. Oh, and the change in body shape is amazing with weights and also quite fast. Super satisfying :)

I’ll shut up now ;)
 
Weigh in tomorrow but 11st 3.2lbs this morning.

Anyone know how to get bowels moving? I’ve not been since Wednesday and farting constantly 😳 I’ve had a detox tea for the last two days but that’s not working and I don’t want to add anything unnecessary or damaging to the diet.

Off to Body Pump and Body Balance this morning.

Have a great day!
 
Thank you for your reply :) I said I wasn't a gym bunny but I did used to do weights before I got super fat. I broke my ankle falling down the stairs so that put the kibosh on my gyming (though I only went 2-3 times a week, nothing like as dedicated as you). And I kind of spiralled into eating all the things after that. I'm totally with you on cardio being the worst - it's super boring and I don't really cope with boring very well (one of the challenges of a VLCD for me, since by about week 4 it's become terribly routine). But lifting weights is awesome and you do get to track measurable changes in your strength and body, like you said. Problem is, I'm just too fat to be able to feel at all comfortable at the gym (or anywhere) at the moment. But I'm looking forward to taking it up again - although by the end of the VCLD I will have no muscles or metabolism so that it'll be ... a challenge.

Also I totally agree that expecting a VLCD to be a gourmet treat is foolish - but I also don't feel it should necessarily be a "punishment". Obviously it's not going to taste like, or as good as, proper food. But I do like the stuff to be edible. Also I keep boredom at bay by trying lots of products and having very strong opinions them.

Re, err, the bowel related issue, you can get fibre supplements, just not on Exante. I don't know if you could pick one up from a chemist?

But LighterLife do one: http://www.lighterlife.com/shop/fibre-mix.html (they are expensive but you could pick up a few of their products while you're there to make the postage worth it - I usually buy their drinks mixtures, for special treats, since plain water can get dull after a while).

Good luck!
 
Hi Darcy, thanks for the welcome :)

Casting, apologies, hate to be teaching my grandmother to suck eggs :D I’m more of a gym rat than a gym bunny - should change my name ;) Sounds like our downfalls were similar. Injuries are just miserable. Once you start feeling lighter you could try the gym. Probably better than leaving it right to the end. Do you have an end/goal date in mind or keeping it open?

Thanks for the links. Will check them out shortly :)

The double session killed me today. I’m fine now but during, I really struggled to reach my usual levels but scraped through. Hopefully that will improve as I get used to this diet. I’m looking at three months I reckon but could be more if I’m looking at dropping 7lbs beyond goal. Time will tell.
 
Oh, no you're not at all - it was literally years ago. My egg-sucking skills have degraded terribly to the point I wouldn't know what to do with an egg someone handed me for sucking so I need all the help I can get! I really appreciate your generosity in sharing your experiences!
 
Well this morning I was met with the galloping trots! A far cry from the problem I reported previously and I’d not taken anything for it. Then cramps all day at work - it was a tough decision as to whether I was going to risk going in at all. Why did I? All my packs were at work! Later in the day I had another evacuation and thankfully more normal but wow, if I haven’t lost a couple of lbs by tomorrow I will be surprised 😬😷

Is it just me or do you attempt to save every morsel and frown at any preparation utensil that covers itself in your food only to be put straight in the sink? What a waste. My husband asked me (in disdain, I believe) why I was eating my dinner out of a Pyrex measuring jug. My reply was simply that the water needed to be measured, it’s high sided so the contents won’t spill out into the microwave and that I didn’t want to waste what was stuck to the sides by adding it to a bowl and then losing further product that would get stuck to the sides of that! All logical in my view. He just looked at me like the greedy piglet I am (why else would I be here?!) and turned back to his programme. *sigh* the things I do to get the max out of every meal.

I’m off to the gym again tonight - chest and triceps. I also have some chores to catch up on so don’t have much relaxation time. Would love to be catching up on diaries but not sure when that will happen.
 
Yikes - I sometimes find if I eat too many bars that has a laxative effect but I've never quite had the ... scarcity and then rapid abundance issue you seem to have suffered. Glad you're feeling better though. And good luck in the gym!
 
Rapid abundance 😂 Ain’t that the truth. Oh well, I’ll ride it out.

I know, I know, I shouldn’t scale hop, shouldn’t weigh at the end of the day, shouldn’t weigh myself clothed (albeit in gym gear with the heaviest item being my running shoes) but still, I did it. I also know about fluctuations and all that jazz and weight loss not being linear. But it’s my first week/start of second week and I’ve been nothing but angelic and still in the early stage and need more regular boosts so I decided to step on the scales halfway through my gym routine. . . . and I weighed the same as I did last Wednesday! Not even 0.1kg less. I’m choosing to ignore it but I’d lie if it doesn’t niggle just a little bit.
 
I scale hopped last week and I was registering a 1-2 lb loss from Wed to Fri so I slapped myself about the face (not literally) and managed to stop obsessing. Got on them on Sunday and I'd lost 4lbs. And while the scale wasn't moving ... even though I had no intention of cheating, I was also conscious of feeling faintly demoralised. And half-wondering whether it was worth it. Moral of story: don't scale hop. Seriously don't scale hop ;)
 
You’re right, totally right. I had to step on this morning just to tell myself what I already knew - that I would be back to yesterday’s weight. I was, and a teeny bit less at 153.2lbs think I was 153.6lbs yesterday so all fine. Now I will wait until Monday morning 😇 It ain’t gonna be easy 👹

Have a sunny day :)
 
I weighed in today as I had a half portion of Chinese for my tea last night at least I had stayed the same which was a blessing I have gone straight back on this morning. Just about to do my 30 day chalkenge. Have a great day x
 
Hope you’re getting that water down you today to flush that out, Les :)

I have been finding it difficult to time my meals. This has been an issue since day one. I probably have to time differently on training days than on standard days and I’m doing four packs on those days versus rest days (more on that later). What do you guys do in terms of timing? If I train Inneed to have a pack half an hour before I go so everything is timed around 19:00hrs when that pack is taken - because I have four, I have the first at 09:00hrs. If I don’t train then I try to leave the first pack as late as possible, like noon and then space three out from there. Recently, as I’ve settled into the diet, I’ve noticed I could probably eat at 09:00, 13:00 and 17:00hrs and just about survive with maybe a few hunger pangs as I go to bed. Can anyone offer any tips on this? I realise it’s all personal choice but would be useful to know.

On the fourth pack thing. Sometimes I’ve felt I don’t need it but not sure if that’s quite right and don’t want to start feeling weak. My concern is being out of ketosis as I didn’t realise each item was so high in carbs. I wonder if a couple of boiled eggs would be better to add in but I would prefer not to if possible. Has anyone else done heavy weight lifting while on this plan? - Any advice would be welcome - weight lifter or not. I will continue this week and see what I weigh on Monday as that will help my decision - that said, week two and three can be notorious for low losses after the first week.

As you can see from the essay 💤 I’m really not sure which way to go on this :)

Sorry for the snorefest, have a great evening 👍
 
In other news:

Peanut butter bar. Love PB, especially crunchy. Don’t love this, don’t hate it. Has that protein bar feel to it and the first few bites are way better than the last. I would rate it a 4 on the Casting Scale.

Coco pop things: Erm, looks slimy, feels a bit slimy. Really not too sure. Needs some experimenting. Rated 3 on the Casting Scale.

Golden Syrup porridge. Very sweet so not usually my thing but yum. Added too much water as didn’t have a measure at work so it was more a soup. Very creamy and nice though. Rated 4 on the Casting Scale.

Carbonara: Hated this on SnS. Maybe I was having a good day/got the consistency right (by accident, no measure) but I thought it was passable. Rated 3 on the Casting Scale.
 
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