Newbie and so excited!!

[damselx]

Hey everyone! I'm new to exante AND to this forum so I'm doubley (is that even a word?) excited

I have been meaning to lose weight since I made my new year's resolution and it's May now and I have not done anything (FIVE WHOLE MONTHS) so about a week ago I was up to the early hours of the morning suffering from a bad case of heart burn, feeling especially fat and stumbled across exante and read all the reviews and considering the reasonable pricing I decided to just go for it. I've NEVER done anything like this before so was a little anxious about how it would work. My mum tried the lipotrim diet last year and went down a whole dress size and looked amazing but you have to get that one through the pharmacy.

So a few days after my order (speedy delivery) I received my box of a bumper bag of milkshakes. I got on the scales to keep track of my weight loss journey and saw that I was over FOURTEEN STONES. Taking into consideration my height and age this gave me a bmi of obese. I didn't realise it had gotten this bad so it was a real reality check!! :cry:

Day 1
The first day was tough because I started in the afternoon due to the delivery so was already reaaaally hungry. I had the vanilla milkshake which smelt divine but I absolutely hated. It tasted like butter and greasy to me...I was soo frustrated about this and decided to treat myself to one last day of indulgence and ordered a take away (I don't know where the logic in this was if I'm honest). As I was munching on the fried chicken I felt so disappointed in myself. It had not even lasted 2 hours!

Day 2
The next day was a lot better and I had the strawberry pack for breakfast (my current fave) and the chocolate one for lunch which was nice too. In the evening I broke and had the three left over chicken wings from the day before. :sigh: I checked on myfitnesspal though and it works out as 70cal per piece which all in all is 210cal so didn't feel TOO bad as I skipped the dinner shake to sort of compensate.

Day 3
This was a very good day. Went strong the whole day. I actually enjoyed the banana, strawberry, chocolate shakes I had as I've grown acclimatised to the taste. I had a veryyy busy day though so that helped.

Day 4
Good day and stuck to the diet!! Drank A LOT of water, like seriously a lot which meant I needed the bathroom all through the day but kept me fuller for longer. Smell of people cooking all around me (I live in a shared flat) tempted me but I did not succumb so felt soo good The latest thing I've started doing is looking at all the calories of the things I used to love to eat that were making me fat (dominos, krispy kremes, chicken wings, bacon etc) and seeing their high calorie content has been soo helpful to stem the cravings.

Day 5
Today is my fifth day!! This is my third clean day and judging by the smell of my breath I may be in ketosis? (hahaha!) Not 100% sure. I had the chocolate shake for breakfast and reading through all the threads on here all afternoon has been so encouraging. I read someones' thread with the quote "change the 'I can't have this' to the I can have this but I won't" or something like that and that is my inspiration to get through the first week. For lunch I'm going to try that vanilla shake again :cry:...hopefully it will better than my first attempt. Someone mentioned ice? So I might try that!!!

Got on the scales again earlier and saw that I was 13 stones 9 pounds?!?

 

[Queen Bizzle]

Heyyyyy!! Welcome to exante well done for getting through the first days and in to ketosis! That really is the hard part. I didn't even do exante for my first days, I got in to ketosis on zero carb food eating as much as I wanted ... So well done for being so strong!!!

You've had a wicked loss already!! you'll have lost half a stone in no time!!

Love your idea for looking up calorie contents! I might do this to shock myself in to not eating ever again

I started 13.4 and now 12.4. Can't wait to get in to the 11s! Not been there for years!!

Good luck and keep posting!!!! Xx

 

[Empath]

Great start, damselx! Putting the 5 days down in writing shows how great you're doing too - you can see right there where your mind is at now, as opposed to day one, when it seemed totally reasonable to order the take-away! Well done!

 

[curveappeal]

You are doing so well.!!!!

 

[damselx]

Thank you all so much!! I'm really trying to change my mindset as well as lose weight. I will eventually have to come off the total solution plan so trying to think about maintaining it right from the start. Well done Queen Bizzle on your weight loss, that's incredible!

Today I managed to sit with my friends whilst they were eating great smelling food and go with them to the shops to buy snacks and resist buying any myself- I'm so happy. I was just wondering if anyone else has struggled with losing weight around friends? Mine seem to want me to remain the food obsessed person I once was? I don't really want to explicitly tell them I'm on a diet and call attention to myself but show them by my change in lifestyle but it is hard. What would you guys suggest?

Also I read someone say that you were allowed a can of coke zero? Is that the same on the total solution plan or would it take me out of ketosis?

 

[curveappeal]

Thank you all so much!! I'm really trying to change my mindset as well as lose weight. I will eventually have to come off the total solution plan so trying to think about maintaining it right from the start. Well done Queen Bizzle on your weight loss, that's incredible!

Today I managed to sit with my friends whilst they were eating great smelling food and go with them to the shops to buy snacks and resist buying any myself- I'm so happy. I was just wondering if anyone else has struggled with losing weight around friends? Mine seem to want me to remain the food obsessed person I once was? I don't really want to explicitly tell them I'm on a diet and call attention to myself but show them by my change in lifestyle but it is hard. What would you guys suggest?

Also I read someone say that you were allowed a can of coke zero? Is that the same on the total solution plan or would it take me out of ketosis?

Unfortunately you will encounter people well meaning and some not so well meaning who will try sabotage you. Try to convince you to stay the person you are... Even at your goal that you are too skinny or sickly or say you've changed as a person....

And you must take every comment with a pinch of salt because people don't like change and you may be a different person at the end.

An overweight person may dress dowdy get into a size 10 and be a wild thing... Some friends will not be ok with that change...

Just a couple of thoughts

 

[damselx]

Unfortunately you will encounter people well meaning and some not so well meaning who will try sabotage you. Try to convince you to stay the person you are... Even at your goal that you are too skinny or sickly or say you've changed as a person....

And you must take every comment with a pinch of salt because people don't like change and you may be a different person at the end.

An overweight person may dress dowdy get into a size 10 and be a wild thing... Some friends will not be ok with that change...

Just a couple of thoughts

You are completely right curveappeal! That's such a wise way of looking at it. There is actually so much more to weight loss that you do not really think about before you start...there is so much more to it that just sticking to the diet!

I've found people say "But you are fine the way you are" and it is is so frustrating because especially on a hard day you can convince yourself that you are fine with how you are when you really aren't.

Of course you are going to change as you lose weight as it is only natural that you begin to feel more confident!

 

[curveappeal]

You are completely right curveappeal! That's such a wise way of looking at it. There is actually so much more to weight loss that you do not really think about before you start...there is so much more to it that just sticking to the diet!

I've found people say "But you are fine the way you are" and it is is so frustrating because especially on a hard day you can convince yourself that you are fine with how you are when you really aren't.

Of course you are going to change as you lose weight as it is only natural that you begin to feel more confident!

Exactly and there will be some who resent you being different and possibly stealing some of the limelight they once had...

Just remember that some is well meaning and some people may have genuinely like the fat person side of us... But a true friend would value your happiness over perceived change...

 

[damselx]

Exactly and there will be some who resent you being different and possibly stealing some of the limelight they once had...

Just remember that some is well meaning and some people may have genuinely like the fat person side of us... But a true friend would value your happiness over perceived change...

So true! I'll try and remember that as I am sure it will get harder as I actually lose some noticeable weight

 

[curveappeal]

So true! I'll try and remember that as I am sure it will get harder as I actually lose some noticeable weight

This is a wonderful time to figure out who you are. What your relationship with food is. What your triggers are.
.
After all this is a mental journey as much if not more than a physical one.. Best of luck xx

 

[Empath]

Yeah... I know for me, being plump somehow became part of my identity - and with the best of intentions, in a group of friends it's somewhat comforting when everyone sort of fits into the pigeonhole or niche that the others are used to. It might feel good to them that they are 'the pretty one' or 'the fit one in a group, and even though you're not a threat at all - on some subconscious level they might be resisting the change. My best friend was blonde naturally, and I still think of her as being blondie - but as an adult she prefers her hair a dark auburn colour, and it took me ages to accept that (because, hello, I'M the redhead) - but it makes her happy, so that's my issue, not hers

Hubs openly supports me losing weight, but with the best intentions keeps saying "you're beautiful" - when that's not what I see when I pass my reflection.
All you can do really, is keep it straight in your own head what you want for YOU.
Those who love you will love you at size 28 or size 8 - and those who don't aren't the sort of people you need around you.
We are all in the same boat here, anyway, so if you need to bite your tongue, and then vent here, we will understand!
Keep on the way you are going. You're doing great.

 

[curveappeal]

Yeah... I know for me, being plump somehow became part of my identity - and with the best of intentions, in a group of friends it's somewhat comforting when everyone sort of fits into the pigeonhole or niche that the others are used to. It might feel good to them that they are 'the pretty one' or 'the fit one in a group, and even though you're not a threat at all - on some subconscious level they might be resisting the change. My best friend was blonde naturally, and I still think of her as being blondie - but as an adult she prefers her hair a dark auburn colour, and it took me ages to accept that (because, hello, I'M the redhead) - but it makes her happy, so that's my issue, not hers

Hubs openly supports me losing weight, but with the best intentions keeps saying "you're beautiful" - when that's not what I see when I pass my reflection.
All you can do really, is keep it straight in your own head what you want for YOU.
Those who love you will love you at size 28 or size 8 - and those who don't aren't the sort of people you need around you.
We are all in the same boat here, anyway, so if you need to bite your tongue, and then vent here, we will understand!
Keep on the way you are going. You're doing great.

Great post

 

[damselx]

Yeah... I know for me, being plump somehow became part of my identity - and with the best of intentions, in a group of friends it's somewhat comforting when everyone sort of fits into the pigeonhole or niche that the others are used to. It might feel good to them that they are 'the pretty one' or 'the fit one in a group, and even though you're not a threat at all - on some subconscious level they might be resisting the change. My best friend was blonde naturally, and I still think of her as being blondie - but as an adult she prefers her hair a dark auburn colour, and it took me ages to accept that (because, hello, I'M the redhead) - but it makes her happy, so that's my issue, not hers

Hubs openly supports me losing weight, but with the best intentions keeps saying "you're beautiful" - when that's not what I see when I pass my reflection.
All you can do really, is keep it straight in your own head what you want for YOU.
Those who love you will love you at size 28 or size 8 - and those who don't aren't the sort of people you need around you.
We are all in the same boat here, anyway, so if you need to bite your tongue, and then vent here, we will understand!
Keep on the way you are going. You're doing great.

This is such an accurate post and sums up everything I am feeling at the moment! I've always been the "jolly" one and I get how it can seem threatening now that I don't just want that to be the entirety of my identity. I feel like personality and the way you act is sort of affected by weight sometimes!

It so difficult to know who is trying to actively hinder you and those who just love you the way you are
Thank you! It is so nice to be able to post on here. I really want to do this for me and seeing others in the same boat is just a reminder that I'm not alone in this!

 

[curveappeal]

This is such an accurate post and sums up everything I am feeling at the moment! I've always been the "jolly" one and I get how it can seem threatening now that I don't just want that to be the entirety of my identity. I feel like personality and the way you act is sort of affected by weight sometimes!

It so difficult to know who is trying to actively hinder you and those who just love you the way you are
Thank you! It is so nice to be able to post on here. I really want to do this for me and seeing others in the same boat is just a reminder that I'm not alone in this!

You are certainly not alone... Xx

 

[damselx]

Day 6:
Today started off a struggle as I had a long lie in so woke up really hungry and then had to sort some stuff out before I could go and have breakfast so ended up having my first shake at like 1 o’clock. I was soo hungry that the shake did not fill me up. After talking to one of the call centre ladies on the exante website online forum thing I found out I can have a can of coke zero without coming out of ketosis (was a bit dubious though, if it has just 1 calorie, no sugar and no carbs- what exactly does it have in it? Hmm) I rushed out to buy a can and thoroughly enjoyed it and it took away my hunger but I’m going to try to not make it a regular thing of it and eat breakfast on time as it can’t be that good for me and I had a few cramps after. I also ordered some more meal replacement packs (I ordered a couple of the cookies and cream bars, the sausage mix, a box of the hot chocolate pudding and I got some chocolate orange bars for free and 30% off which was nice!) I already have four weeks’ worth of shakes but thought it would be nice to give myself some variety for next week! After the can of coke the rest of the day was fine and I had chocolate shake for lunch and a strawberry one for dinner.

Funny story of the day - was in the kitchen making a very very late lunch shake. A couple of people were in the kitchen and one of my flatmates was curious as to what I was doing with a blender. When I said I was making a chocolate milkshake she got soo excited saying how jealous she was that I was having one, how much she was craving one now and asking if she should have some of mine or if I would make her one! She asked if I had used icecream or milk and I was like “something like that”. On the inside I just was crying with laughter, if only she knew it was a meal replacement diet shake!

 

[damselx]

URGENT QUESTION
I have actually just realised something...was trying to find out how much carbs are in my shake pack to compare it to other food and found out that they actually have 150 calories in them so I am actually having 450 calories a day? Am I supposed to be having four? And as I have been managing fine so far should I just stick to this....

 

[curveappeal]

URGENT QUESTION
I have actually just realised something...was trying to find out how much carbs are in my shake pack to compare it to other food and found out that they actually have 150 calories in them so I am actually having 450 calories a day? Am I supposed to be having four? And as I have been managing fine so far should I just stick to this....

On Exante total solution you are supposed to have 3 packs @200 calories or 4@150 calories

If you are only having three of the four a day packs then you are losing a quarter of your nutrients per day xx

 

[damselx]

On Exante total solution you are supposed to have 3 packs @200 calories or 4@150 calories

If you are only having three of the four a day packs then you are losing a quarter of your nutrients per day xx

I completely did not realise, think I got confused when ordering my box. Can't believe I've done this!

 

[Queen Bizzle]

You'll be fine if you just add in the extra from now on x

 

[Empath]

Don't worry - it will be okay.
You were right to check, just adjust it so you're getting {3 packs of 200} OR {4 packs of 150} each day from now on.