New starter - hints and tips please!

[Starlit_Cazza]

Hello all!

Right I have been bumming around here for a couple of weeks now, and am finally starting CD tomorrow.

I have a bag full of lots of different flavoured packs, Ive a nice big plastic glass to drink out of, and currently 18 litres of evian in my car

So please...any hints and tips people can give me to get through the first week? I am very much an all or nothing type of person - if I cheat that will be it, so need to SS completely and stick with it.

Couple of questions:
1)I am on 4 packs a day as I am 5ft 9 - how do people normally space out their packs? or is it a trial and error job?
2)Is there any packs I really shouldnt mix with hot water due to foulness? lol
3)Any early survival tips?
4)Holidays? how do you cope? I know if I stop when I am on holiday I will pile all the weight back on and be back at square one. Thats just how I am! Is it feasible to SS while on hols? I am just off to the family caravan in france with my baby girl, so hopefully can avoid temptation!
5)Work - help! my problem is that I am often in and out of the office (im a community mental health nurse). Do I NEED to use a blender to make shakes, or is a flask and some really good wrist action sufficient?

Sorry, lots of questions, answers gratefully recieved, as are any hints and tips my friend has suggested vanilla shake with hot water and a spoonful of coffee for a yummy vanilla latte

 

[unreal83]

Hello!

Would like to wish you a great big good luck and welcome you to the CD.

I normally have my first pack at 9am ish as this is what I am used to - then I have my second at about 1pm, and then the last at 7pm. It all depends on what Im doing and how I feel.

Early survival tips? KEEP URSELF BUSY! Take up a hobby, go out for a walk, cruise around here all week if you can - just do anything that is going to keep your mind off of food. If u do start to think about food - just remind urself that this is not forever and u also have to remember why you are doing this.

I would say that to enjoy the shakes to their full extent, u do need a blender - but if you havent, then i would say shake them up with some ice ice cold water to fully enjoy them. There's nothing quite like a nice blended up shake though.

You could have a break on holiday, it is your holiday after all, but just be sensible and eat lots of chicken and fish! If u do want to carry on during your holiday i admire you and i would say you will feel so proud when you have finished ur holiday and you actually lost weight! Just take some tetras and bars they're the most convenient - can you take a blender with you there?

I hope i've helped - anything else let us know! xxxxxxx

 

[BigPants]

Firstly, have a great week and good luck.

I have a cheap hand blender that I bought for about 6lb for work as you are on the go I would consider the Tetra packs.

Spacing them out its up to you, some people like to split the packs initially as they find it hard other are fine. Experiment and find whats right for you.

I have all the sweet shakes cold except the coffee one and I add more coffee to it too. Infact I add coffee to a couple of them.

I have a list of things in place to keep me busy these include :

A cross stitch, luxury bubble bath ( I bought an extra special one just for me), colouring books (I kid you not), I have circled clothes I like in the next directory, I flick through it it keep me going. My weighing scales are in front of the fridge so if I'm tempted I step on them and it spurs me on. My H has had food I don't like all week to avoid temptation. I have painted my toenails and my daughters. I take a bottle of water with me everywhere.

I haven't been on holiday yet but I think I'm going to take tetras.

Good luck

 

[Starlit_Cazza]

Thanks thats brill. I have a small blender, so may well take that to work with me and use it when I can at work - regardless of the funny looks i may get!

Dont know what i will do about holiday, im just worried that as soon as I break the diet, that will be it. Ive been there before (not with CD) and I know once I fall off that there wagon I just give in completely

Already getting gried from my father as I wont be eating at his fathers day meal next week! great.

I have a busy week ahead at work which will help, and have my lovely brand new laptop to play with in the evenings Plan to go up to bed after putting my daughter to bed at 7, watch dvds and play on here

 

[anya]

Just wanted to wish you luck, i'm on week1 myself but doing SS+. My only advice is keep drinking lots of water, and hold out until you hit ketosis where you will start to feel like a normal person again !
It is difficult at times but from what i've read its much harder the more times you break the diet and have to restart so try to stay with it 100%
Oh and log on as much as you can it really helps.

 

[Hedgehog]

First of all :welcome:

Couple of questions:
1)I am on 4 packs a day as I am 5ft 9 - how do people normally space out their packs? or is it a trial and error job? I usually dont have my first pack till lunch time (but I am only on 3 packs) then the second one around 5ish and the last one around 9pm and that usually keeps me from picking in the evenings

2)Is there any packs I really shouldnt mix with hot water due to foulness? lol I dont have advice as I am mostly a tetra pack girl with the odd soup thrown in.

3)Any early survival tips? Water, water and more water, it really helps keeping the hunger, and other side effects at bay. The other thing is to take a fiber supplement daily to avoid the side effect of rock hard stools not pleasant and really to be avoided Fibersure is perfectly fine to take on SS

Also try and keep yourself busy especially in the evenings of the first week and the weekends as that is when the emotional need to eat can strike hardest

For a treat, pop a tetra pack in the freezer for 4 hours and you'll have yourself a lovely icecream

4)Holidays? how do you cope? I know if I stop when I am on holiday I will pile all the weight back on and be back at square one. Thats just how I am! Is it feasible to SS while on hols? I am just off to the family caravan in france with my baby girl, so hopefully can avoid temptation! I will be off SS when going on holidays so I havent been thinking about that so far, but I am thinking if you are doing well on the diet and its just yourself and your daughter without too much socialising I would feel it will be manageable.

5)Work - help! my problem is that I am often in and out of the office (im a community mental health nurse). Do I NEED to use a blender to make shakes, or is a flask and some really good wrist action sufficient?
Tetra packs are ideal for work situations because there is no making up on them you just poke the straw in and you're sorted. I found the soups not too bad to make up with hot water and a fork to stir, but I am not to up on the shakes since I dont like any of them.


Best of luck with the diet, you certainly seem to be in a good emotional space to start

 

[Sez]

Good luck! I tend to eat my packs all the end of the day, one at 4ish (my danger time!), one at 6 then I have a bar in bed with a cuppa whilst watching tv. (Oh I know how to live!!!) I know not everyone would suit this plan, but I am most tempted to stray in the evening, as at work there is not so much opportunity!

I have tried many of the packs hot, I love the banana hot, and of course the choc variants. Recently I learnt that a choc tetra, split in two with water added, heated and then a spoon of coffee is heaven in a mug!!

Bars are good from week 3 too, I love choc, cranberry and peanut.

As far as getting through this, its right, distraction is the answer! Hot, bubble baths, walks, reading- just dont pick baking like I did???!!!????? Oh, and keep glugging that water too!

All the best!!

 

[Blondee x]

Firstly, good luck! Secondly, I am on 4 packs a day too as 6ft tall and I have one at 8am, one at 1pm, one at about 6-7 and then one at about 9-10pm. You'll prob find that you're not really wanting the last one as the ketosis stops you feeling hungry (plus all the water fills you up) but you have to have it to make sure you're getting all your nutrients. I would def suggest the tetras for work instead of lugging a hand blender around, they are really convenient and sooo yummy!

in regards to your hols, maybe you could take tetras and have them for breakfast and lunch time and then have chicken or fish and veggies for dinner so it feels less like you are missing out?