LL to weightwatchers? (to rtm or not?)

AllyLL

Full Member
I have posted this question on the weight watchers forum but wanted to get the LL perspective. After 16 weeks (currently in week 13) I was thinking about moving to Weight watchers. I should hopefully be about 13 stone by then (<11, 10 would be a healthy BMI).

I am craving food like anything, a bit light headed and generally fed up with not eating. Also, money is a huge factor.

Has anyone done this? Would you recommend going straight to WW or doing rtm first? What kind of losses (gains - gulp) could I expect?

Any words of warning?
 
Going straight from abstinence to WW will mean your metabolism does not have a chance to rebalance itself and you will likley gain weight to start with. Your metabolism has slowed right down and if you suddenly give it lots of food it won't be able to metabolise it properly. Your glycogen will also refill and you will likely see a gain from that too, about the same amount as you lost the first week, (this happens gradually on RTM and you hardly notice it).
You also won't have the advantage of retraining your mind and body in a new way of eating.

I know some people have said they had no gain, but it is best to be prepared for it.

RTM gradually adds food back in which allows your metabolism to gradually rise, and you learn to eat again in a whole new way. It really is a very important part of the programme and I would strongly advise against not doing it. You will read that most people who haven't done it have gone on to regain most/all of their weight and quite often more.

If you want to lose more but really don't want to do it on abstinence then I would suggest RTM first, then you can either just cut back a bit (which I have actually found pretty easy, RTM really does guide you into a good healthy balanced way of eating) or WW (but why spend out on WW when you can get free weigh ins and counselling from LL once you have finished RTM, and guidance on losing by cutting down).

You will still likely lose a good bit on RTM too, anything from 7lbs to a stone (some have lost more than that).

Abstinence is hard but so worth it.
I personally found WW such a struggle, .5lb here, 1lb there, some times lucky to get a 2.5. You won't lose on WW like you can with LL.
I think it is just your chatterbox you need to get under control. Everyone on LL misses food, but it is all part of the retraining. I guess it depends if you want to just lose weight or if you really want to change the rest of your life.
 
Thanks Alibongo,
I think I am panicking. I don't think I could mentally handle consistent gains so I think you are right with rtm. That's great if you can still go to classes after rtm, even if you arer trying to lose a pound or two. 7lbs to 1 stone would be fine for rtm. I'd got into my head somehow that I couldn't lose at all in rtm.

As I read your post and type this, I realise I have a lot more head stuff to sort out. It scares me how much time I spend thinking about this stuff.

Thank you again!
 
Yes - I think that RTM is vitally important and am really looking forward to finding out my triggers (though I have a pretty good idea what they are!).

You need to somehow get the cravings under control. Sugar cravings for example can often be halted by taking a supplement of chromium and zinc. I am not sure if they are allowed on LL, but imagine they are ok - check with LL or your LLC.

What are your cravings, and are they physical or (as is most likely) just in your head?
If you do not do the full plan you will miss out on this vital bit of information.
 
Thanks Mikey, Yes my triggers are all in my head. Chocolate and crisps have been huge problems for me pre-LL but it is pizza I have been craving (but not eaten) during LL.

My chatterbox has been racing and constant the last week.It's goo to hear some sense on minimins.
 
Well it seems that you know your mind and your attitude seems good - you are well on the way so please just keep going - you know that it makes sense - after all if you complete the plan this should be the last time you ever need to diet!
 
Hi there

Someone made the change last week and lost 0.5lbs on their first week from a VLCD to WW. Several people have made the change very successfully, only a couple have gained in week 1 but its been a very minimal amount (a couple of lbs at most) and have then lost from week 2 :)

Good luck which ever way you decide to do it :)
 
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