Looking to join LL

[shazzy1973]

Hello all, just came across this forum, and it's fab. The weight you guys have lost is amazing - WELL DONE!

The reason for my post today is that I have spent the last few days thinking very hard about joining LL. In true style, I was always a thin person until my 2 children were born, but goodness me, that was 12 and 10 years ago, so can't blame that anymore! Anyway, decided in 2000 to join Weight Watchers, since then, I have put on 3 stone up and down.....I wonder if it was ever a good idea to join a slimming club. In 2005 I managed to loose 3 1/2 stone without really trying, and then by 3 months, I had put the whole lot on again - and some :cry: I have went back, lasted a month and not lost a thing, I could scream, and kick my bum, but I am following it, it just seems my body is saying NO MORE!!

To me, the only way to do it now, as a now or never, is to not eat and follow this plan. The only problem I have is that I am a student on a low income, and the £66 a week is going to cripple me - but I want to do it. If and when I do it - is it all going to be money down the pan as i'll put it all back on once I have a diet yogurt?? On the LL website, the woman did say she put a 1lb on by having one........:sigh: So for this reason.......I am not sure.

I am sick of being unhappy, the past 8 years have been horrid and depressing and I beat myself up secretly about it.........any words of advice i'd be greatful of.

Lots of love,
Sharon
(Scotland) xx

 

[jindal]

Hi sharon

I did LL and lost 2.5st and couldn't face the shakes and soups. The only thing i liked was bars. LL works and there is no doubt but it is very restrictive. I've joined sureslim and it is fantastic. Visit SureSlim UK - Lose Weight Dramatically and Permanently and see yourself how the plan works and it is less money than LL. Again this is my personal view and everyone is different.

all the best whatever you decide to do.

XXXXXX JINDAL

 

[Tange]

Hi Sharon,
I have been on LL for three months and have lost just over 3 stone. Yes its tough in the beginning (first week) but after that it gets easier. Once your energy levels start going up and the hunger goes it becomes quite easy. There are pro's and cons to all the diets. If the money is a serious worry for you there is always Cambridge which is similar but cheaper. The one thing that LL has that I love is the counseling. I have learned so much about myself and how I looked at food. And even uncovered some thoughts and feelings that had made me hide myself in a blob of fat.
I love the diet, even now I probably have another 3 - 4 months of abstaining to go but for the first time in my life I know I am going to do it.
I wish you lots and lots of luck with whichever you choose and please stay around and let us know what you have decided to do.
If you think you can never do it, believe me most of us on here were terrified to start and look at us now.

Tan

 

[hopefilly]

Hi Sharon why dont you try CD instead it works the same but is much cheaper. There are many CD councellors on this site who could tell you more about it. I started of on LL and lost 6 stone then stopped messed about for a while and a stone crept back on have joined cd now to shift it finally x.

 

[Blonde Logic]

Hi Shazzy

One reason LL is £66 a wekk is because of the counseling- Cognitive behaviour Therapy and Transactional Analysis. Many of us are here because we have serious issues with food. Addictions, etc. So the counseling is a vital piece of the puzzle. I do not know it that apply's to you as you mentioned you gained weight by pregnancy, and were naturally thin before.

If that is the case you might consider Cambridge Diet, which is a sole-sourcing abstinant program as well, but about half the cost as there is no counseling sessions as such.

They do work. And they are pertty hardcore, definately not for sissy's!! But the main thing to remember is it is temporary - just focus and get through it, and then you are done. There is also a 12-week maintenance program that I believe is the most important peice of the puzzle. If you do it, chances are you will maintain. If you skip it, chances are you will put the weight back on. Neither is a given obviously, but that seems to be the way for most.

I found out the other day one of my managers at work that I have known for 4 years did LL about 7 years ago. She was apparently quite hefty. She is slim as can be now. So thats prety impressive to me. There are several here maintaining for years - also impressive.

Its a great diet - easiest thing I have ever done - weight related of course - and it is the best thing ever....it is the "magic pill" I only ever dreamed of - never realised it could be a reality.

Give it lots of thought - that for me was key - getting my head wrapped right tight around it. Took several weeks doing that, and I feel as strong and committed today as I did on my first day 12 weeks ago. I attribute that to the time spent mentally preparing.

it is a financial struggle. I understand that too well. but it is worth every penny, and I will beg, borrow or steal to get through if necessary!!

Good luck whatever you choose.

 

[x-Katie-x]

Hi Sharon, I've got to say that LL is the easiest diet I've ever done and I've done a few! The problem is the restrictiveness of it but for me that's the joy of it too - I don't have to worry about what I can/can't eat or when to stop. The cost is a lot but that's because of the counselling - if you can do it without that and don't feel you need it then go for Cambridge as it's the same but half the price and there are more flavours in CD too.

I would so advise doing this - a couple of people have been coming back to my group lately for 6 month weigh ins and 12 month (from finishing) weigh ins and none of them are any heavier than when they left - in fact most of them weighed less than when they finished.

 

[mrspnut]

For me LL is my next to last resort. My last chance saloon if you like before contemplating gastric band surgery so I am really keen to stick to it and lose the weight.
The cost is a consideration but for me, I've cut the cost of my weekly food shop in half by doing LL. I no longer buy unnecessary junk like I did before, nor do I buy a bottle of wine a day or make trips to the bakery on the way home from the school run.

Just those last two items have saved me almost £10 a day which more than pays for LL, without the £50 a week saving on my shopping bill.

IMO, if you can lose the weight easily but then you always put it back on then you need to tackle why you're eating the way you do and the only way to do that is to have counselling.
I think you need to look into perhaps having counselling along side another weight loss programme or joining LL. Private counselling costs about £35 an hour which you could combine with WW or SW.

Best of luck whatever you decide.

 

[shazzy1973]

Many thanks

Hi everyone,
thanks so much for all your posts. I have to say that to be honest, although the money sounds alot - i'd happily use that buying crappy food or eating out - and and the vino too So when you have said about cutting down the food bill, I think that's something I would do indeed. At the end of the day, I need to do this before I get even more depressed with myself. To be honest, to meet me, is like I don't have a care in the world, but inside is a different story I'm sure you all know what I am talking about. I managed to stop smoking in January and worried about when I had a drink or when I was out with pals that smoked, but to my delight I have been really strong and said NO - I have even had freinds and family say how good I have been, so just go on and have one!!! Whats that all about? So, I know that I will go through the same with LL. To me, being slim and healthy and getting to the bottom of why I eat so much, will be the key to it all.

Since posting this morning, I have phoned the LL lady and left a message, first step taken. My hubby is behind me, only thing worries him is loose skin as I will loose too fast.

When I was in Tesco earlier on, all the ladies I saw seemed to be thin and glam - I want to be like that again, and this has got to be the last straw for me.

It's so nice to have support from you all - THANKS

Lots of love,
Sharon x

 

[Donnalou86]

Hi sharon, I've been on LL for 11 weeks now and have lost just under 4 stone. BL is right when she says the best and most important thing about LL is the councilling, it teaches us why we overate in the first place and helps us make the right choices in the future. It is honestly the easiest diet you'll ever do and the best thing for yourself. I too was very worried about the money, have recently graduated from university and therefore don't have much money at all. But just think how many times have you said 'I'd do anything to be slim' ? Well would you give £66 a week. I actually find I'm not really worse off as I used to spend more than £66 a week on junkfood, nights out and other food. As you don't have any food to buy you save money there. Whatever you choose I hope you find it right for you and you will fantastically. Good luck!!

 

[gobubbles]

Hi Sharon,

Really glad you've made up your mind and made the first move too! This is the best slimming plan - just think how long you'd have to be on WW or SW to achieve the same results! And I may be wrong here... but in my personal experience I don't know one single person who's been on WW, lost all the weight and kept it off for good! (Expecting to come under fire from all sides here :character00264:...) This is what LL can do for you better than any other programme, and that's because of the counselling - as the other LLers have rightly said - but also because of Route to Management, which teaches you how to deal with the world of real food once you've lost all the weight. Just think of it as the last diet you'll ever be on - how much would you pay for that?

Also, as a slight aside, if like me you find inspiration in books, I'd really recommend The Beck Diet Solution - it's a book that's all the rage right now and uses CBT for weight loss, just like LL. I'm about 2/3 of the way and I'm already putting some of Dr Beck's lessons into practice. It's really the best book I've ever read on losing weight and keeping it off for good! What works for me particularly is the advice on how to resist cravings, the importance of reviewing your goals twice daily using handy response cards, and addressing crooked, self-deluding thinking. I now feel a lot stronger in getting back into abstinence after a holiday during which I chose to eat...

All the best with the start of your lighter life! :bliss:

 

[lulu55]

Hi Sharon,

I'm just about to start LL .... Thursday night is THE night !!

I've wanted to do it for a few months now but the cost put me off.......... then i saw someone the other day (that i hadn't seen for nearly a year ) .....and WOW !!

I'll struggle a bit to find the money but i'm hoping it will be worth it !!

Good luck in whatever you decide

lulu

 

[shazzy1973]

today I meet the LLC

Hi all, how are you?

I'm meeting with the LLC today at 4pm! Do you know, since I thought about joining LL, I have had nightmares every single night about it I suppose it could be all the questions I have in my head that I need to be answered, whirling round in my head?

I aksed my MIL if she could watch my kids for a few hours, she said yes, but needed to know why - emailed her to let her know, and she was She did say that if I felt I wanted to try it, then that was fine.

I explained that we can't afford it, but hubby and I have said we shall work it into our weekly food budget - and to be honest, not having a few bottles of wine and chinky once per week, not to mention the odd chippy, burger king....lol - we should manage it..JUST. It is not forever, it's for 100 days - then hopefully it can only come down in price when I reach my target weight (unless I have more to loose)

My worse fears are loosing my hair - my crown and glory! And another one is my body going into to total shock and having a heart attack - goodness, can you tell i'm freaking out that it cannot be right to do this to ourselves? I know it will all be fine - and i'm sure I will be on the forum totally delighted with myself for loosing......we shall see!

Let you know how I get on with LLC later on,
lots of love,
Sharon x

 

[Donnalou86]

Good luck with meeting your LLC, if it puts your mind at ease at all I've had no hair loss at all. Some of the others said it happens a bit when you start eating again after you've finished abstinance. But they say it's not much, certainly not enough to go bald and it grows right back. Think maybe it just thins a little.

As for your body going into total shock and having a heart attack. You have nothing to worry about there. From your food packs you will get absolutely everything your body needs, and you'll be getting energy from your fat stores. You may feel a bit under the weather if you don't drink your 4ltrs of water though as you are getting no fluid from food. Plus they say the more you drink the more you shrink. So force the water down you til you get into the swing of it then you'll be easily drinking MORE than your 4ltrs.

Good luck with starting, and if you have a rough first few days stick with it cos it's about to get so easy and so good, and before you know it you'll be where I am now, 13 weeks in and a size 14 coming from a size 22.

Let us know how it goes!! x

 

[shazzy1973]

Met the LLC

Hi Donna - haven't you done well going from a 22 into a 14? I would love to be a 14, and in fact its my goal. Thanks for your info too.

Met the LLC for what I thought was a one to one, when I went in, there was around 9 other woman. LLC put on a dvd/vid and we watched - a few questions, then the bomb-shell...........no class until first/second week of MAY I could have burst into tears :cry:I think I made it clear that I wasn't happy, as were other woman.....however, I also know that LLC can't just fit it in just now, or she would have.....I have left mighty peed off at the thought of being utterly miserable for another 5 weeks Hubby tried to be happy for me that I went, and said it wasn't too long too wait - I was really nasty to him and told him he didn't know what he was talking about......... poor man, I feel so bad about that.

So, what I thought was going to be l light at the end of the tunnel has turned into 'what the heck can I eat to make me feel a bit better'

Lots of love,
Sharon x:wave_cry: