Newbie on Exante

[Mike50]

Hi
I’m new to this forum so thought I’d just say hello and see if I can get some assistance on a few questions I have please.

Firstly, I am on the Exante diet and have been through the first week without cheating and have lost 1 stone! So to say I am pleased would be an understatement! I still have a long way to go as I have let myself become a bit of a porker (23s 5lbs) over the last few years and want to lose a total of 8 stone. Once I get there I’ll decide whether to maintain that weight or go for another 2 stone!!!

So to my questions:

I understand that this diet is a VLCD and works using ketosis, but how many grams of carbs are in the diet and if I added to them how much would knock me out of ketosis? I want to swap a few of the soups with ones from Diet Chef and maybe use a few of their products in conjunction with Exante ones. Is this a really bad idea??

If I added food to my Exante diet that contained minimal carbs would that be a disaster? I’m thinking along the lines of a nice steak occasionally, no carbs but lots of calories, so won’t knock me out of Ketosis and the resulting pain of restarting, but would obviously slow weight loss for that week.

Why can I not chew sugar free chewing gum?

What are the safe drinks for this diet? i.e. Diet Coke, lemonade etc?

Sorry for all the questions in one go!!

 

[kelly]

Hi Mike, welcome to the forum

I am supposed to be working at the minute, but will try and get back later to answer some questions.

I think coke zero is ok.

There you go one answered already

 

[sweet_girl123]

eya welcome to the forum hun and good luck on your diet journey ...
i am sorri bt i don't know the answers to your questions but i am sure some one else will come along to answer them who does know the answers :d
mwah

 

[Dietkitty]

I don't have many answers either but can recommend the Dietimeal cottage pie from Avidlite website. The values are roughly the same as the soups but the taste and texture is more like real food.
If you have a look through the book that came with your packs there is a section on what you can eat in the add a meal week or if you're doing working solution (first page only). There's no red meat on the list so not sure about the (mmmm!) steak. As said above Coke zero is supposed to be OK but avoid anything containing citric acid.
Hope this helps a little

 

[short and dumpy]

hiya Mike just settling in with my cup of herbal tea hehehe welcome to the exante journey and well done on an amazing first week!!

I am just going to have a little search for some answers for you.. this forum is a godsend the people are so wonderful.. and I will reply with what I find .. didn't want you to think you had been left hanging hehe.. hope you are having another great week on the diet so far.

One thing to remember though.. is you will still lose weight without ketosis, but ketosis makes it more bearable To lose 1lb of fat we need to cut 3500 calories, this diet works on reducing the calorie intake rather than relying on ketosis alone. That is just a helpful by product(from what I understand)

Are you having the 3 or 4 space food packs a day.. I think a few if not most are on the 3.. but they do say if you are well built, or over I think 5ft 8.. 4 is a good starter... and see how you are coping maybe then deciding to knock one down. Might curb hunger.

Drink wise..
Just to be careful with anything in a bottle.. like the coke, as if it contains citric acid, it can kick some people out of ketosis.. Coke Zero is fine. As are those that use maltric acid? i think.

Fizzy water should be fine just my own tummy doesnt like the bubbles and fizz with nothing inside it hehe

xx

To quote the wise and very helpful Miss Demeanour
Quote:

black tea, black coffee, green tea, water, spring water, herbal (not fruity) teas, no squash, and definitely no orange juice! (it will have a fructose content).

Some of the other VLCD suppliers do compatible flavourings for water - I'm looking into investing in some.

IF you're desperate, the following are just about compatible with ketosis, anecdotally:- Coke Zero (although not diet coke), Perfectly Clear (only the strawberry and kiwi flavour) and Dr Pepper Zero, allegedly. Basically, diet fizzy pop without citric acid in. (Coke zero has phosphoric acid).

Although fizzy pop on a practically permanently empty stomach is not entirely recommended...

Also. hope this helps in regards to any other slightly naughtier type drinkies...this thread is always worth a read..

http://www.minimins.com/cambridge-d...ation/26311-dangers-alcohol-when-ketosis.html

Many people seem to have no problems with mixing vlcd products themselves- they're all VLCD products after all.However I think it is probably important to compare values, like dietkitty in order to get a like for like. But probably advisable to not have more than one bar-type-meal-portion a day though.
Also to remember it is your decision and may slow the losses, as each space food pack on exante is calculated specially to give you all you need that day, adding and changing may provide more carbs etc etc.

Personally I am sticking soley to the exante, but then I have found it gets easier as the days pass. But I think some think it's also nice to have a bit of variety, here and there for a change.

I would advise maybe giving the people at exante themselves a ring or a little email, and pick their brains, I believe a lot of people find them really helpful.

Regards to adding some meat yummy mmmm
I found this written by AaronCampbell helpful:

Low Carb/Ketogenic suitable foods Found this on the internet and thought it could be of use to some people

Here's a partial list of just some of the foods that can be consumed on a ketogenic diet. I'll start with the '100% safe foods', the ones that shouldn't throw you out of ketosis due to having either no carbs, or trace amounts of carbs. Next I'll go to 'questionable' foods, such as hotdogs, where you must check the carb content on the package, because some hotdogs have only 1 gram of carbs per hotdog, some have seven.

(Note: I've tried to list every food I know, in any form, so there will be some redundancy. Foods marked with an '*' are considered healthy, I highly recommend eating them as much as possible while staying under your carb limit and staying in ketosis!)

Safe Foods (No Carbs/Trace Carbs)

Beef, Steak, Hamburger, Prime Rib, Filet Mignon, Roast Beef, Chicken*, Duck, Any Fish*, Tuna*, Salmon*, Trout*, Halibut*, Lamb, Pork, Bacon, Ham, Eggs, Shrimp, Crab, Lobster, Butter, Oils (Olive Oil*, Flaxseed oil*, etc.), Mustard, Salt, Pepper, Soy Sauce, Tea, Coffee, Heavy Cream and Nutrasweet/Equal.

I am in no way saying this is a good thing, or that I would add to the diet, but it is a good source of knowledge for those that decide to adapt the diet around them. But one thing that stops me from doing such, is that the packs contain measured amounts not just of the minerals, vitamins and proteins alongside the carbs, but also the fat... the problem with meat is hidden fats.

I hope Magggie, Miss D and Yam etc all pop by and shed some better advice for you.. I am sorry I am a newbie in the grand scheme of things.. However this forum is a font of knowledge and the search option, adding keywords and clicking search minimins only, can bring some great threads up

Hope I haven't waffled to much :S

xx

 

[markanderl]

Hi Mike, nice to see another man on the forum, welcome. Short and Gorgeous has certainly answered your question, this is my 2nd week and have lost 25lbs in 13 days. Started at 18st 1lb. Like you the lbs are falling but will slow down soon. I only have 3 packs a day and it is working for me, have not struggled to much, this forum has helped me though, they are all a godsend, made it that much easier.

 

[short and dumpy]

oops missed the chewing gum bit... ermm I am sure there is a lot of answers on this one as to for and against.. the only reason I dont is that the action of chewing gum stimulates the release of saliva and gastric juices which in turn will make you feel hungry.

Also I think even in some of the sugarless gum you have hidden calories per stick, so just to check each pack.

 

[Mike50]

Thank you all for your replies....

I am sticking to the 3 shakes/soups a day and have a bar to chew on as and when the hunger pangs get too bad! Sometimes I eat the whole bar, sometimes just half during the day....

The reason I want to add some food is I'm going on holiday in September and would like to have a few treats during the 2 weeks. Got to still live a little even though on a diet!

I think I need to expand the Exante diet a little to include a few other VLCD meals
or I know I'll become bored and stray to the breadbin or biscuit tin!
The call of the Kabab shop still echos around on Fridays:17729:

 

[markanderl]

Hey Mike, Exante are coming out with new products in July so I think you should hang in there till then. I wanted to do exactly the same as you but got told off for it.