Lose 2 stone in 5 weeks on the exante diet?

[kellou]

Hi sparkley,
I'm actually the same start weight as yourself but have not decided on an end goal as I don't want to think it unacheivable! If I'm really honest I'd love to be able to go into any high street shop and buy something, think that's my goal at present!
I notice from your journey you've never had a gain (wow!!) is there any day that you've had a little slip and how did you handle it??
Any good tips/advice would be fab x

 

[Sparkley]

Hi sparkley,
I'm actually the same start weight as yourself but have not decided on an end goal as I don't want to think it unacheivable! If I'm really honest I'd love to be able to go into any high street shop and buy something, think that's my goal at present!
I notice from your journey you've never had a gain (wow!!) is there any day that you've had a little slip and how did you handle it??
Any good tips/advice would be fab x

Hi Kellou

I am so pleased that there have been no gains, even had a week holiday and still lost 3lb. But... I have been really motivated and not cheated. However, I do have a bit of a treat every now and then - but I am careful about what it is. Sometimes I have some chicken breast mixed in with my meal - its lovely stirred through the mushroom risotto. And a couple of times I have had a tuna steak with salad. The main thing for me is avoiding carbs. So on holiday I would go for a chicken salad and avoid any bread/potatoes etc.

Yesterday we went to a friends for a Halloween party and he ordered a Chinese. It was my first experience of a takeaway while on Exante and it wasnt too bad. I ordered chicken and spring vegetables that was in a soy sauce. I had about a desert spoon of rice with it and it was really nice. There was a bowl of chips on the table, crispy shredded beef, noodles and everything but I managed to steer clear. I have to say that I did have a lot more energy this morning form my workout that usual! So I do let myself have bits and bobs every now and then, but just be really careful. Normally carbs are my downfall. I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but give me a sandwich and a big bag of crisps and I'm yours!! However, since being on this diet I've not had any cravings for carbs.

The motivation from seeing the weight come off and from feeling so much better is immense. I'm now in a pair of size 18 jeans... four months ago I was in a size 26 jeans! I feel so much better - just simple things like turning over in bed or walking upstairs all are so much easier. Clothes is a huge incentive, it feels great knowing all my clothes now either fit or are too big, instead of just a few fitting and the rest being too tight!

I hope to be at my goal weight around June/July next year. Somehow this time around I can see the end of the tunnel and feel sure I will get there, and it doesn't seem that far away. I am almost halfway there, another 7lb and I'll be at the mid point.

Stick with it Kellou, it's soooooooooooo worth it!

x

 

[kellou]

Thanks for the advice sparkley! I have the same predicament this weekend, a birthday coming up and going for a Chinese but like you I'll avoid the carbs and order a chicken/veg type meal!
I also solved the carbonara problem and have discovered that 2tsp of curry powder added to the mix makes all the difference, I can say I actually enjoy it!!
Monday is my weigh in so hopefully all the hard work will have paid off!! X

 

[Sparkley]

Hi Kellou, how's it going? Did you survive the Chinese? I had carbonara tonight with curry powder and added a slice of chicken breast and a little bit of steamed asparagus - very tasty! Let me know how you're getting on.

 

[ElleC]

Sparkley - I think you're a real inspiration! I just started Exante, I've been on LL before and lost lots of weight but over the years have put it back on so am trying one last time. I'm pretty motivated to stick with it but it's lovely to read your posts and see how much you've lost. This forum is great, I'm so glad I found it - definitely fantastic at keeping you on track.

 

[Sparkley]

Sparkley - I think you're a real inspiration! I just started Exante, I've been on LL before and lost lots of weight but over the years have put it back on so am trying one last time. I'm pretty motivated to stick with it but it's lovely to read your posts and see how much you've lost. This forum is great, I'm so glad I found it - definitely fantastic at keeping you on track.

Thanks Iainiec, that's very kind of you! When I started on 1st July I didn't expect to be 5 1/2 stone lighter by November! I have tried lots of diets over the years and did lose a lot of weight years ago with WW but then over the years put it back on again. I have to say that this has been the easiest diet I've ever tried and the good weight losses make it easy to stick with.

Once you get past the first few days it does get easier (which you'll know from doing LL). I think as first my motivation to do it carried me through, but now seeing the scales drop each time I get on them and getting into smaller clothes is my motivation.

I've also been doing the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD 6 days a week and can highly recommend it. That has made a big different to my body shape. I have always struggled to lose weight from my bum and legs but this time it seems to be coming off there in proportion with every where else and I think the exercise has helped with that.

Have you just started today? Good luck - stay strong!!

 

[ElleC]

I started on Monday morning and checked ketones levels last night which have said that I'm in ketosis (just about!). Had my first weigh in today and have dropped half a stone so am really pleased. I think that was the mistake I made last time - not doing exercise. I had some loose skin which I know I'll have again this time but hopefully doing some light weights and pilates will help me tone up. I think the difference about this diet is that I've totally accepted that I'm going to have occasions where I will be eating - a friend's wedding in a few weeks, Christmas, my husband's birthday but I can plan ahead and know that I just have to stay away from carbs. LL used to make you feel so guilty if you even contemplated that! I have a dress for the wedding that I wore in the summer and it was pretty snug then so am looking forward to seeing how much better it fits in a months' time!

 

[kellou]

Hey sparkley ,
It's going great thanks! On my first weigh in I'd lost 9lb soooo unexpected! This week has been a bit trickier so I've been doing WS so hopefully will have lost again this week! I'm going to do another TS week next week. I'm finding it easier than I imagined so all in all going well! Still finding the carbonara a little tricky to get through so will have to think what to get next, any recommendations?

 

[Sparkley]

Hey sparkley , It's going great thanks! On my first weigh in I'd lost 9lb soooo unexpected! This week has been a bit trickier so I've been doing WS so hopefully will have lost again this week! I'm going to do another TS week next week. I'm finding it easier than I imagined so all in all going well! Still finding the carbonara a little tricky to get through so will have to think what to get next, any recommendations?

That's a fantastic start, well done, you must be sooo pleased with yourself. You should still have a good loss on WS as will still be lower cals than your body needs, will be interested to see how it goes. I had a bit if a treat last night as me and hubby went to a new tapas bar that's opened near us. I only had protein and drank water but still felt naughty. Fingers crossed no damage done - my weigh day is Monday so will find out then - didn't dare get on this morning!!

 

[Escapade]

Sadly Im one of the people who lost and regained... everything apart from half a stone, I went from 16 stone to 9 stone in 6 months and 2 weeks, I finished the diet with a "yayyy Im skinny, Im a real skinny person now!" mind set, nope... I was still a fat girl in a skinny girls body, in the 2 years Ive been off the diet Ive regained bit by bit, Im back now at 15 and a half stone now and trust me, its soul destroying, don't avoid the scales when you finish exante, wean yourself off it properly, follow the diet plan how it is meant to be followed, learn what you can and cant eat, count calories, don't do what I did!

I don't blame the diet, I blame me, I lost large amounts of weight on other diets and regained as well, so Ive come to the conclusion Im good at diets... but awful at making the right choices once I finish the diet and cant maintain, no diet is the magic answer, they all need work and even more work after you get to goal.

My main two tips are don't think your a skinny person who can eat what they want when you get to goal... if you do, your put weight back on and don't get into the mind set of thinking "ohh half a stone doesn't matter, I can lose that in a week back on the diet" because that half a stone becomes a stone, then it becomes 2 stone and so on.

Im back now and determined I want this weight gone for good, but I also want it gone fast so Im seriously considering exante to get the bulk of the weight down and this time I wont let myself slip back into my old eating habits, so Im thinking of using exante to get me back into a size 12/14 so I don't hate myself everytime I see a picture or catch sight of myself in the mirror and then do a slower weight loss healthy eating programme until I get into a size 10/12. At 9 stone I was a comfy size 10, size 8 in things with stretch but I looked good at 10 stone as well, so 10 stone is my goal this time but I think I'll stop TS when I get to 11 stone and then move up the plans until I get to 10 stone.

I'm proof of both sides of it... you can lose large amounts of weight quickly but you can also regain it just as fast

Well done everyone with your loses so far

 

[Sparkley]

It's a never ending journey. I always say that losing the weight is the easy part... you are constantly rewarded with the scales dropping, receiving compliments, fitting into smaller clothes etc. But once you are at goal the real hard work starts to stay there. I too lost a lot if weight before, 11 stones with WW, swore I would never put it back on, but gradually did.

Your tips are so true. We have to keep on top of the situation and realise we will always have to be careful and make wise food choices if we want to stay slim.

I've found Exante really good an it is putting me in a good mindset about food. I used to be a real carb junkie, but feel so much better for being off the carbs so want to keep up the no bread when at goal.

Hope it goes well for you - you know you can do it. I've lost what you are hoping to lose in the past 18 weeks on Exante. Only half way there for me but know I will do it.

Good luck with the journey x

 

[Escapade]

My husband is away for the next 8 months so I am hoping to surprise him with a slim me when he gets back, its easier to diet when he isn't around coming home with bottles of wine and takeaways.

He is due back for two weeks start of March, so I would love to have shifted a big chunk of the weight quickly by then, I normally do about a stone and a half in the first month but then it slows to about 10lbs a month so I think Im going to order a pack and give it another go, even if I can just stick to it until March and then go to healthy eating that should hopefully give me a good kick start.

 

[littleowl]

Hi, I'm another person who puts it back on, I do ok for a while and then just can't stop eating. I eat when hungry, when not hungry, when tired & when not tired...when happy, when sad etc etc
Last time I told myself that I've had a lifetime of eating and drinking nice things which helped me not to cheat... I'm hoping that saying it as it is on this forum will help....day 1 today.....let's see how I do...

 

[Escapade]

Same here little owl.

Yesterday I did calorie counting and today my friend who lost loads on exante gave me her left over packs so Im back on exante for the time being, fingers crossed I can stick to it and get this weight shifted again.

We're aiming to lose the same, so maybe we could do it together

 

[littleowl]

Hi, I'd like that, reckon I need all the help I can to stick at it....

 

[Sparkley]

My husband is away for the next 8 months so I am hoping to surprise him with a slim me when he gets back, its easier to diet when he isn't around coming home with bottles of wine and takeaways.

He is due back for two weeks start of March, so I would love to have shifted a big chunk of the weight quickly by then, I normally do about a stone and a half in the first month but then it slows to about 10lbs a month so I think Im going to order a pack and give it another go, even if I can just stick to it until March and then go to healthy eating that should hopefully give me a good kick start.

Hubby being away is a fantastic incentive... what an amazing surprise he will get on his return! I like to set mini goals to work towards.... Christmas, my birthday end of January, family do (Dad's 80th) in March, holiday booked for end of June. Am hoping to get to goal by 1 July - 1 year since starting, and will actually be on holiday then so will look forward to (hopefully) toasting my success on the 1st July!

Good luck this week, and to you too littleowl, hope you both do great and that we can all keep it off this time around.

 

[Escapade]

Yeah, last time I set mini goals based around special events but this year birthdays and Christmas feel pretty unimportant as I'll be spending them alone, good thing is it means I wont be tempted to cheat! I have set myself goals for losing each stone by a certain date, not important dates, just dates I feel is doable if I stick to it, but it gives me something to keep looking at in the calendar to see how close to my next goal I am.

 

[Thornhill Cate]

Hi Khill

I just keep telling myself that next summer will come around whether I am sticking with this or not and I would hate to be looking back thinking 'if only I'd stuck with it'. I would rather be thinking 'I can't believe that this time last year I was over 20 stones!'.

x

This is what I keep thinking about too. Last summer's heat was unbearable being almost 17stone and I really don't want another 'fat' summer. I really want to be able to wear my nice summer clothes and not be always trying to cover up while staying cool (please God we have another summer like this year's!)

In response to the original theme of this post, if anyone is still wondering about this, I lost 2st in 5 weeks in 2011 on Lipotrim which is another VLCD and delivers the same losses as Exante. I started at 16st 1lb and lost 12lbs the first week then 7lbs, 2lbs, 4lbs and finally 3lbs so it is definitely doable and I did no exercise at all either.