Re-posting here in the hope of some advice please :)

[bye-bigun!]

I had initially posted this in the Weighloss thread on maintenance but 40 views and no answers... so i thought I would ask here for some help from you seasoned and successful dieters

(i have copied the text below, hope this is ok)
Hi all,
I am currently on LT tfr, have done so for 4 weeks and have lost 22lb but for the most part I have been doing my own thing, which I guess equates to cheating..?? I have been careful to eat 'sensible' things such as proteins and sometimes substitute my last shake for something solid for example. The last 2 nights I have had a BBQ steak and done exactly this.. I am a little confused as to where i sit and would seriously appreciate some advice. My chemist is also useless!

Should start out by saying that topping up with food was auth'd by LT. I am on morphine for my back amongst other things and initially found that I wasnt quite on this planet! LOL! So the food balanced me a bit. Glad to say this is now gone for the most part unless I have a bad day and I juggle my dose. .. anyway, the idea stuck I guess and I then started nibbling the odd cracker, all of the time being mindful of the carb limit... I have 6lb to go to reach my target but seeing how I still feel I now know I would like to lose about a stone.

The prob I have is that I am 'picking' food, quick stuff to grab and nibble and I dont get to enjoy anything. I then feel guilty and that I have blown it and then choc goes down the hatch.. still mindful of how much I have tho! But I am still having losses I am happy with... what I would prefer is 2 shakes and then to be able to have a meal with my family where I can sit down with a knife n fork and savour it!! Chemist have suggested I swap plans, I think what i am doing right now could be improved.. but I know nothing about it and the chemist were no help!

aCan someone please explain to me what the plan entails? How many shakes? Which ones are nicest? What thing you have when you eat and how much weight I would expect to lose? I have just got in to the 12s, never been this slim since I was 12... but I al a big girl so I wont ever be 10 st! I also have the added complication of being on the urgent waiting list for 3 operations so at any point I was looking at doing a fast re-feed as I need to be able to recover properly as a couple of em are major surgeries.. will maintenance change this? Also, is the cost the same??

Literally ANY info you can give me would be wonderful! I have searched the net and the LT site and nadda!!!!

Thanks oh wise ones

xxx

 

[summergurl]

Not sure if the maintainence shakes are the same cost as the tfr ones but you can use the tfr shakes whilst trying out a different plan .... and by your chemist saying a different plan i'm guessing she means you having 2 maintainence shakes in the day and eating a meal? As there is no set 'plan' for maintainence.

That will be fine to do but your weight losses will slow down. You can use the tfr shakes for this, thats not a problem. I wouldnt like to say how much you'd be losing as no one knows that except your body!!

If you were to do this i'd stick to chicken, fish, salads and vegetables. Try steer clear of snacking which is the thing thats getting to you right now isnt it. Do you think if you knew you'd have a meal to look forward to you'd stop the picking?

 

[irish molly]

Hi, this is the info on using lipotrim maintenance products in a weightloss plan:

Lipotrim Maintenance Foods

Control your eating whilst still enjoying low-fat foods

Low G.I. to reduce hunger pangs

High Fibre - feel fuller

Low Calorie

1/3 of daily nutrients per product

Use 1,2, or 3 a day

Before or with your meal

Free Supervised weigh-ins

*****


Menu for days 1 to 3



Day 1

Breakfast: 1 x Maintenance Formula

Lunch: 1 x Maintenance Formula

Dinner: 4-6ozs of skinless, boneless chicken or turkey breast or white fish fillet, or tuna fish in brine. This can be steamed, microwaved, baked or cooked with a little water in a non-stick pan seasoned with salt & pepper. Vegetarians may use tofu or quorn. You can have a moderate serving of salad (small breakfast bowl) from any of the following: lettuce, cucumber, cress & watercress, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, peppers, beansprouts, celery, dressed with a little lemon or lime juice, or wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar.

Or you can have 2 heaped tablespoons of cooked green vegetables - NO MORE.

Important You must NOT eat bread, potato, grains (rice), pasta, fruit.

No alcohol, no fruit juices.

*****

Day 2

Breakfast 1 x Maintenance Formula

Lunch: Small meal as above dinner suggestion in Day 1

Dinner: Small meal as above dinner suggestion in Day 1

Important: You must NOT eat bread, potato, grains (rice), pasta, fruit. No alcohol, no fruit juices.

*****

Day 3

Breakfast 1 x Maintenance Formula

Lunch: Small meal as above dinner suggestion in Day 1


Dinner: Small meal as above dinner suggestion in Day 1

Important: You can now have at lunch OR dinner 1 x 8oz potato, plain boiled, mashed or baked but with no addition of any fat. You may like to top with some skimmed milk, plain yoghurt or very low fat fromage frais and a sprinkle of herbs. You must NOT eat bread, grains (rice), pasta, fruit. No alcohol, no fruit juices.

*****

Days 4-7

Breakfast: 1 x Maintenance Formula

Lunch: Fish fillet (any type - cod, salmon etc), serving of potatoes ( 1 medium jacket or 6 new potatoes or a serving-spoon of mash - no added fat), carrots, 2 tablespoons of broccoli (or any other vegetable). Yoghurt (low fat).

Dinner: 4-6oz skinless, boneless, chicken or turkey breast, jacket potato, bowl of salad. Fruit (if appropriate, see below) or low fat dessert.

Snack or Late evening: Below are suggested healthy low fat foods for snacks or evening. If you have been more than 2 stone overweight you should only eat the three meals suggested above. Avoid these snacks and just eat by the clock.

Sandwich (no spread of any sort), consisting of: pickles, fat-free mayonnaise, salad/carrot, slice cold meat(low fat).

Up to 3 small pieces of fruit, preferably in the evening. If you suffer from the insulin resistance, (cravings) problem, then eat these late in the day and do not snack on them during the day.

Important: No alcohol

*****
Example 2

Breakfast: 1 x Maintenance Formula

Lunch: Sandwich (no spread) - any low fat filling, e.g. tuna. Bowl of salad. 2 pieces of fruit (if appropriate) or low fat yoghurt.

Dinner: Spaghetti Bolognese, consisting of: drained lean mince, low fat sauce, 4oz cooked spaghetti, serving spoon of vegetables. Low fat dessert.

Important: No alcohol.

*****
TIPS

Follow diet for Day 1 to 7 strictly then continue from week two using 1,2 or 3 Maintenance per day with healthy, low fat foods.

Drink 2 litres of water per day

Return to the Pharmacy each week for free weigh-in

Ring your Pharmacy with any queries

You may consume diet drinks and have milk in tea/coffee.

The Lipotrim Maintenance range comprises:
Chocolate Whip Dessert
Orange Crème Drink
Summer Fruits Drink
Cream of Vegetable Soup
Caramel Flavoured Bar
Lipotrim Maintenance Programme
For further information visit Lipotrim web site: Welcome to the Lipotrim Website

Or contact your nearest participating Pharmacy you will find a list on the Lipotrim Website.

 

[bye-bigun!]

Thank you both SO much And hello again Summergurl

Very informative, just what i was looking for.. and yes, If I knew I could sit down at the table with the family then I would be able to leave the picking alone.. I CAN manage my weight, lost loads myself and maintained at that level by being sensible.. but decided to be smaller, hence starting LT. However, I have certainly found that as I am 'not allowed' to enjoy food, even sensible stuff, it has brought out my inner demon and I am now snacking/grazing on crap calories to try and bridge the void. Its a slippery slope and while I easily recognise it, I dont seem to be able to gain control all the time I am abstaining... like today.. I have been fine, did a workout this morning at 7.30am ..!!! (get me!!LOL) and was all bouncy and in the zone, went out to make the kids lunch and its like I get taken over!! No other way to describe it! Ended up necking 2 turkey slices, a cracker and a piece of easter egg!!!!... now feel stupid once again for being sucked in again and not wanting to be strong enuf to resist! Aquafit n swimming tonight which should put it right but thats not the point! I fully agree with slower losses, I am already having them due to my bad willpower tut tut!!.. i just need a solution so I dont end up out of control and get back into the habit that I managed to conquer!....I have come too far to go back there!

Thank you so much once again xx

 

[summergurl]

I think what Molly has posted is the refeed ... If you feel you didnt want to do the refeed you can just do 2 shakes a day followed by a meal of fish, chicken, salad, vegetables and then when you feel like you are ready to come off the diet then start the refeed where you introduce 2 meals a day

Follow the refeed sheet principles of day 1 though for you meal if you do decide to do 2shakes and 1 meal.

xxx

 

[Zebs07]

Edit to this post: DOH bird here started typing this b4 any others had replied; but as usual took so long and wasted so ouch time blathering on, that others had helped you meantime! Hence a lot of it may be redundant - ooooops lol

*. *. *. *

Hi there

First of, well done on ur losses so far! Sounds to me like you've done great, especially given ur circumstances!

Unforts, this forum is for ppl maintaining past losses not the maintenance programme, so we sadly may not be able to help as much as we'd like with advice on programme proper! We do a variety of healthy eating plans here, such as WW, GI but mostly common sense 80/20 regime. We simply continue to post our menus as it is a habit that helps us keep on track and we all like the support aspect! Sadly the name of this forum does cause confusion (and problems when ppl read some our diaries without fully understanding what we are doing!)

However, a few of us (myself included) do sometimes use maintenance products, but more as a get back on track after a holiday or weekend - in a balanced meal replacement way - rather than a regime!

The maintenance regime proper (for weight loss) as per the LP leaflet is: For weight loss: 3 products before a low cal meal (ideally below 100cals). For maintenance: 2 products before low cal breakfast and lunch; balanced low fat meal in the evening.

However IMHO, it is practically impossible to plan 3 low fat meals in a day at under 100cals, so I would suggest you think of the maint products as the meal (every 4 hours'ish) with a snack like a piece of fruit or yogurt or similar in-between times; and keep up the water, as much as u can tolerate - remember our bodies confuse thirst with hunger!

Re amount of weight loss to be expected, I'm afraid that's a case of how long is a piece of string! I would think in your medical circs, u would be better to do 2 maintenance/one meal and lay easy on carbs for optimum weight loss. I don't mean no carbs, just small, ie if ur having a baked potato and protein with salad, try keep the potato to ideally 175g raw weight (try not to go over 200g). And maybe every 2-3 days, have a day with no carbs in evening meal - ie just a prawn or chicken salad. You will still keep carbs in your system with both the maint products and the natural ones in fruit, yogurts, salad, veg etc.

Most of us use 'myfitnesspal' and log all we eat. It is very handy cos other than calories, it also lists your nutrients in foods which helps keep your intake balanced. The LP maint products are all listed in the database!

I hope this is of some help! However I must stress I don't follow maintenance regime so am no expert! Also as for longterm in the way i suggested above, I don't know!! I usually just do it for few weekdays to counteract my relaxing at weekends! I couldn't comment on any health implications doing it longterm. The reason I mention that is 2 maint/1 low fat meal will be under 1200 cals (which u shouldn't go below) - in my case, that balances out over the week but wouldn't in yours if u do it everyday!

May I also stress the importance of food choices as well as calories! You will notice from our threads that we all have our moments with chocolate etc and buttery toast, crisps etc - but we do 'usually' work it into our 80/20 balance! We all hit craving days, especially when under additional stress, TOTM etc and it is proven that sometimes it is better to give in than fight it, when u end up eating everything in sight and still have the craved-for item at the end lol. That is okay - it is life and we are human! The key is in what you do afterwards to compensate for the binge! 80/20 blah de blah blah! Lol.

However feeling picky is something else - thats a habit - please try to make food choices when u feel that way, cos that is a sure road to being 'bad', then hating yourself, so wanting to pick more etc etc. First off drink a pint of water when u want to pick and if that doesn't work, have fruit or yogurt etc. I'm not saying to never eat choc - god forbid lol - but build it in as a treat - not a picky filler!

OMG I've rambled on enough ... Sorry! I am renowned for it lol

I really hope that at least some of what I've said helps you! Good luck tho I'm sure you'll be fine!

One other thing; dont get hung up on LP or nothing! There are other options. The most important thing is to find something u r comfortable with!

Ps. LOVE the choc whip and bars; orange creme and forest fruits are Ok; soup I haven't tried... cost £11 a unit, which is 7 products. Tis pricy!

Pps. If u do decide to switch, still do refeed properly (even tho u have already been eating). None of us can stress enough how essential that is - not just for rebound gain from overfilling stores etc, but also reintroducing food tastes, portions, etc is a way that helps you stick to good healthy eating!

 

[irish molly]

Lipotrim suggest that the refeed plan utilising maintenance products can be used for a slower weightloss plan.
It is discussed in the thread titled:
Refeed/Maintenance and Weight Loss Plan!
Which is in the weightloss via LT maintenance section of the lipotrim forum.
Mini outlined all the details of utilising maintenance products in this way.

That's if you want to continue using lipotrim products. You have said that you have managed to lose a lot of your weight yourself using healthy eating. So why not consider a healthy eating plan that will suit your lifestyle at the minute.
You have done so well despite all your Ill health so you obviously have great willpower.

 

[bye-bigun!]

Vanessa a really big thank you for your very detailed reply..! And as for rambling on, dont worry... its thoroughly appreciated and I also do the same! I dont seem to be able to say anything in short...!! Its a good character point I think LOL!! Your reply has helped me a great deal and I now get my head round it much more when I put it with the other tips above

Molly, thanks for the info from you too! My chemist is SO unhelpful its untrue so I guess a lot of this is given to you when you sign up?? I am very much in the dark with it all and learnt far more on this forum than anyone at the chemist could ever know!... its shocking actually! I had an argument last week as the girl told me I had come out of ketosis for having some sliced turkey! I explained it wasnt and we ended up having a bit of a ruck about it and in the end I told her I wasnt making it up and that LT themselves told me protein keeps u in ketosis and only carbs knock u out! She went bright red n shut up!! but had I not read about it on here she could well have talked me round! LOL!

I have my next WI on Saturday and I am going away for a girlie night up North and leavng the kids (only left them once, I am a control freak!)... so very much loking forward to having a nice night away from home and switching to a meal plan too.. nobody knows I am even doing this diet (SO much negativity when mentioned and all based on hearsay or wrong info of course!) so being able to officially eat something will make me blend in a little too!! LOL! Although I will have to have my shakes in the bathroom!!!! ha ha!! (actually thats not a joke!!!)

THanks once again xx

 

[CHARLEYSANGEL]

Hi Donna,

Whatever you decide to do, ie 2 main. products plus 1 meal etc, make sure that you are eating 3 proper meals at least 2 weeks before your operation(s) as this is recommended by Lipotrim

Clair x

 

[irish molly]

Unfortunately, pharmacies can vary greatly in the information they give on lipotrim. It's a lottery to find the good ones. Such a pity your pharmacy is one of the poorer ones. At least everyone here can share their experiences.
It will be great for you to get a break with your pals. Enjoy it.

 

[SandraB]

Donna, as far as the surgeries go, I had a hip-replacement back in december and my surgeon insisted that I refeed for two weeks prior to the op. Afterwards I had to eat very carefully as I was severely anaemic so any kind of dieting was out of the question......

Good luck and I'll help if I can, everyone on here is hugely supportive so don't hesitate to ask!

 

[bye-bigun!]

THanks ladies,
Sandra it was reading your posts before that alerted me to the fact that I needed to refeed 2 weeks before.. my pharm have not even tackled this with me properly apart from when I raised it and told them what I had found out!! madness! hence why I have been asking and asking for a re-feed sheet since the very first day that I started as I was expecting the call with a date anytime!! .. still waiting obviously..!! So yes, I intend to do a proper re-feed before my op so that my body is geared up for recovery... I am anaemic anyway so have to be careful and I cannot tolerate iron supplements *bleugh*.. one op is on my spine, the others on my bowels and everything else 'down south' so I need to be able to go to the loo too!! Something that doesnt happen much on tfr!!!! They will keep me in until its possible so I could be in there a week LMAO!!!... I have just started psyillium which works much better than the fibreclear stuff and nice thick shakes too

Thanks all for your words of wisdom! Sorry to be a pain in the butt but its a bit of a minefield and you guys are so knowledgeable, its second nature to you all!!!

mwah!! xx

 

[Zebs07]

Just a quickie - I had probs with severe anaemia last year but find iron terrible tolerance wise! Then I discovered Spatone - a herbal supplement! A friend had told me about it but I was was wary it wouldnt be strong enuff given my iron (6). However then GP suggested it, he couldn't officially prescribe it but said it was great and in other patients, blood results proved it's efficiency! It's liquid sachets you put in a drink - i use it in a wee bit fresh orange cos it speeds up the absorption! It's faaaaab! About £7-8 I think from a chemist for a months supply - u get it in Tesco so presumably other supermarkets too! (3 for 2 in Tesco last time I stocked up). It's ok to double up daily dose aswell till levels back in control!

So much for the quickie...lol

Ps. Meant to say - no side effects incl no stomach issues!

 

[SandraB]

Look after yourself Donna x