my poor mum

[dreamer85]

my poor mum was so fed up with her weight she took the drastic action of starting the cambridge diet. shes only on day 2 but looks exhausted, fed up and has dark rings under her eyes.

i pleaded with her to try the atkins and when she saw me having a big hearty breakfast of bacon, scrambled eggs and fried mushrooms this morning while she ate her sachet of porridge (i say satchet, more like two spoonfuls) i think i may finally be able to persuade her over from the dark side

how do people cope on these diets without food?! eeeek, me idea of HELL!

 

[Leanne1]

Oh, poor woman. I know the Cambridge diet must work very well for some people but if she is feeling run down and tired then it is not for her. At least with Atkins she can get some food into herself and might feel a bit better.

 

[dreamer85]

i really dont think i could cope without eating tbh. i think if i had to live off shakes and satchets of soups etc for 3 months i would literally want to eat everything in sight as soon as i was allowed haha!

 

[SarahJPG]

I have tried doing VLCD and failed miserably - even though I felt a bit rubbish in the first half of the first week with Atkins at least I didnt want to tear peoples heads off and stare at everyone eating proper food!! At least you can eat and lead a normal life on this diet. My husbands justed booked a table at Prezzo this saturday - something that would have made me break into a cold sweat on any other 'diet' - but no not now - I know I can go and have chicken wings and then the sciliana chicken with salad and alls good. Hope ur mum feels better soon xxxxxxxxxxx

 

[Marysu]

I'm a firm believer in needing to eat in order to diet healthily. Straving is not good for body or mind. Glad she is giving it a try. My mam is at it too

 

[dreamer85]

Yeah sarah thats the beauty of atkins, you can still enjoy life, even have a drink, n not have to worry too much.

I totally agree marysu, i NEED to eat, lifes far too short to torture urself lol

Well she was struggling last night, i was explaining ketosis to her n how shes starving to get there and im eating my way there!

 

[Divalicious]

When I got to my heaviest weight ever I knew I had to do something about it. I was no longer in denial even asked for a gastric band from my GP lol . I started on Lipotrim and it was so vile. Then changed to Exante and in total I have lost 7 stone. I feel so much better and to be honest was never hungry and cooked every night for my OH and kiddies. I would have loved to carry on and lose a few more stones but my health won`t let me. My hormones are all over the place and I keep get my period every 6 days or so then last 10 days. Really annoying about that but wouldnt trade my 7 stone loss for anything. Av been on Atkins 3 1/2 weeks now and my period is still unsettled but will just persevere on Atkins to see what happens.

Yes VLCDs are hard but if you want the weight loss soooo much nothing will stop you . It was my sons birthday party yesterday and his cake looked so lovely but I just had to resist it.... Just like with VLCDs you resist the temptation and think of the weight loss .

 

[dreamer85]

Diva i have the utmost respect for people who do vlcd's as i realise they must have determination and will power made of steel, i just couldnt do it personally. Well done on ur amazing losses, i hope atkins really works for you and you continue to lose

 

[spottydoris]

I feel more sorry for your mum that you aren't supporting her! I don't mean that in a bad way against you - but, honestly, doing a VLCD really isn't that bad.

if she is feeling run down and tired then it is not for her. At least with Atkins she can get some food into herself and might feel a bit better.

As an ex-VLCDer, I would have to disagree with this statement. What you mum needs from you is your support to get through these hard first few days.

I did Lighter Life, which is basically the same as Cambridge... and the first few days are horrid. As with Atkins, the first challenge is getting into ketosis - on a VLCD this tends to happen quickly, usually 3-4 days or so.

I know I may sound a bit of a weirdo hailing the brilliance of a VLCD when I am over here doing Atkins, but bear in mind I am not here because VLCDs are 'bad for you', 'don't work' or anything negative. I did food replacement for 5 months, lost just over 5 stone and changed my life forever.

In the end I felt so amazing I gave up (doh!) before I reached goal, and I have now decided to get the last few off. This time around I am much smaller and therefore don't thing I require the extremity of a VLCD - plus I now want to learn how to eat as a 'way of eating', not a weight loss tool.

If I had my time again, and I had a lot to lose - I wouldn't do anything differently. I felt the best I've ever felt, full of energy and bursting with life - shiny hair, strong nails, glowing skin... and those in my group, on the LL side of minimins, said the same. The nutrients you get from the food packs are so vitamin dense that you actually end up 'better' than the majority of people that don't balance their meals carefully enough.

Rather than pitying your "poor mum", you should be proud of her and excited for the journey she has just embarked on.

Yes Atkins is BRILLIANT, but it's not the be all and end all. Cambridge works on the same principles (using fat for fuel), but it is usually faster and the relief of putting food to one side for a while, and being able to just concentrate on 'being' is so freeing for many of us who have been haunted by food for years and years.

Anyway - that's all. Good on your mum for taking this step to get herself healthy. Atkins may be the best step for her to maintain her new found sexy figure towards the end - but live and let live.

 

[spottydoris]

you can still enjoy life

lifes far too short to torture urself lol

shes starving to get {to ketosis}

Wow. Strong statements! You saying you wouldn't be able to 'enjoy life' without food? That's a bit much! Honestly - life without food, whilst not realistic long term, is actually a really nice place. I never had to waste time doing shops, or planning meals - I actually had time to "live" - it was bliss!

Straving is not good for body or mind.

You. Are. Not. Starving.

If you were starving you wouldn't be able to lose weight - you actually eat just enough to keep you from NOT starving. This is why those that forget to have a foodpack (very likely as all hunger disappears) usually end up STS at weigh in, or even gaining. These kind of "starving" statements were designed to scare people off doing things like VLCDs.

If you read the studies on the reputable VLCDs you will discover that actually they have been shown to be 'healthy', as long as they are followed correctly

---

Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now

SD xx

 

[dreamer85]

Hey sd, dont get me wrong i am supporting her, i would never ever discourage her. But at the same time its difficult to see someone looking so exhausted and down and out. She works 10-12 hour shifts and i think thats pretty hard going.

The thing with my mum is she doesnt actually have that much to lose, maybe 2 stone, even less, and knowing her n how much she enjoys food i wish she could do it in a way where she can still eat and enjoy herself. She doesnt sit at the dinner table with us as she feels awful, and obv thats not nice for me to see.

I actually wouldnt be able to enjoy life without food. My social life centres around going out with my friends and that usually always involves eating or drinking. For example, on sunday we had a girls night in at my friends house and they all had a chinese take away, and i made a big stir fry for myself. I didnt feel left out and was still able to eat with them.

Like i said please dont get me wrong, i have respect for people who do vlcd's, especially those who maintain and are able to start refeeding successfully.

I just definitely know it wouldnt be right for me because i like food and the social aspect of eating far too much (thats prob why im here to begin with haha!)

 

[spottydoris]

Sorry Dreamer... I thought you were trying to encourage her to try Atkins... my mistake.

Two stone seems a relatively small amount to warrant doing a VLCD, but - again - each to their own. On Lighter Life you had to have a BMI of over 29, or need to lose at least 3 stone, in order to be allowed to do it - I think this is a good benchmark. On the whole people have a lot more than this to lose and use VLCDs as a real life saving choice.

It is easy for VLCDs to be a "go to" diet that people of all shapes and sizes to use as a recurring quick fix - which I don't think is healthy, psychologically at least.

Didn't want to come across as preachy - I guess I just have a special place in my heart (cheeese!) for VLCDs because they turned my life around and gave me my health back. I, equally, love Atkins for being so common sense and for turning food into fun rather than guilt and worry with every mouthful.

I hear what you are saying about not enjoying life without food... I am a total foodie and always have been. As you said- this is probably why I am on a diet.

Those I knew on LL all had our own special bond with food - most of which were social... but over time we managed to take a step back and realise that life goes on without dinner parties and eating out, and it was actually quite sad to realise how dependent we were on these things in order to feel 'accepted' and 'fun'... no, it's not going to be fun to avoid those things forever - but for the sake of a few months, it gives you the incentive to try new things, go to new places and not just circulate around take aways and saucepans. I go karted, played rounders, pampered myself a lot with my girls and danced nights away in nightclubs during my time on LL... and lots more! I even managed birthdays, weddings and Christmas while doing it... which were events I dreaded, but in the greater scheme of things I am glad I did. After all, when you look back on Christmas you remember who you were with, sometimes the presents you got, what crappy film you watched in the afternoon in front of the fire... but rarely how every last thing tasted. Memories are about who you are with much more than the food that passes your lips.

Wow. Now I really do sound like I'm preaching. I'm really not. I LOVE being on Atkins, it's working for me and I have confidence in the way of eating - I just also know what it's like on the other side of the fence and I guess it all comes down to 'don't knock it til you try it'

I am going to take a vow of silence for a while cos I am sounding like a reet mare today! Hahaha.

(Honestly not grumpy!) x

 

[dreamer85]

nooo SD i really appreciate your point of view, your more able to express an opinion having done both diets! im sorry if ive came across as derogatory towards VLCDs, i didnt meant to be offensive. i was poking fun in a cheeky way admittedly

i have been supporting my mum but have been advocating the atkins to her and told her to use it as a maintenance programme once she is happy and finished with the cambridge.

i wish there was just one miracle pill we could pop and be skinny minnys!

 

[girlygirl1]

Lots of people on the Atkins forum have moved over from VLCDs for one reason or another. Many of us could not stick to TFR longterm, or (as in my case) felt genuinely ill on SS even after weeks of perseverance and doing everything 'to the letter'. I did lose a lot of weight on the old 790 plan but wanted something more 'normal' to ease me into longterm maintenance so that the old cravings would not derail me yet again.

Some here have lost a huge amount of weight on a TFR programme but are finding longterm maintenance very tricky! The reasons are many and varied but mostly they are connected to carb sensitivity.

I am a carb addict through and through so for me low-carbing is the Magic Mountain. VLCDs work like a charm but they can also cause despair in those who don't take to them with the comparative ease that others experience.