Should I start? Advise please

Hi guys, :wave_cry:

I've been an observer on the boards for a few weeks...

I would like to ask you advice…



I am currenty 13st (the heaviest I have ever been) and 5ft 6 Making my BMI 29 which just about fits into the requirements for lighter life. It seems so great because it is pretty much guaranteed to work if u stick to it and its relatively fast. But there are a few things about it that worry me. The only other alternative I’m considering is hypnotism.



I’ve got a few concerns that make me a little bit hesitant and would be very grateful if anyone could help me out with answers or opinions.



1- Willpower

Like most of you, I’ve tried loads of different diets in the past and have just not been able to stick to them for very long – the one time that I did – I gained all the weight back within 6 months

How do you resist the temptation of food? Especially at social events.



2- Post – Diet

I’m also REALLY worried about regaining the weight having spend all that money and effort to loose it.

And also, what happens if you stop the initial phase early? Will all the weight pile back on if you start to eat food again

What happens if you fall off the wagon one day and eat food for the whole day? Will you have to start all over again.



3- Timing

100 days seems like a very long time (although In the grand scheme of things its not really that long) to have NO food whatsoever. Ideally I would like to start straight away but I’m going on a week long holiday in 2 weeks. Would it be better to start when I get back? But there will always be something happening that might seem to get in the way.



4- Exersise

I’m a relatively active person – I ride a bicycle to and from work most days and would like to be able to go to the gym 2-3 times a week to keep up a good muscle tone – but will this be compatible with the programme?



5- Starvation Mode and Reduced Metabolism

I’ve always heard things about your body going into starvation mode if you go on very low calorie diets and that your metabolism is significantly reduced in the long run – so that you will have to eat less calories to stay at the same weight? Is this also the case with lighter life? Or does the reintroducing food phase deal with this?



6 – Hair Loss

That totally freaks me out. Because I haven’t got much hair as it is… how common is this?



Any help would be much appreciated
 
1- Willpower

Like most of you, I’ve tried loads of different diets in the past and have just not been able to stick to them for very long – the one time that I did – I gained all the weight back within 6 months

How do you resist the temptation of food? Especially at social events.

For most people being in ketosis means they are not hungry therefore the temptation to eat isn't as bad. You may experience problems at social events but I found if I planned and made sure I had my shakes so I didn't get hungry I was fine. In the first few weeks I was surprised how apathetic I was towards food - part of the great thing about VCLDs is they take away your ability to add things in that are naughty - you are either on it or not which helped me a lot.



2- Post – Diet

I’m also REALLY worried about regaining the weight having spend all that money and effort to loose it.

And also, what happens if you stop the initial phase early? Will all the weight pile back on if you start to eat food again

What happens if you fall off the wagon one day and eat food for the whole day? Will you have to start all over again.

As someone who stopped very near to the end byt falling off the wagon, yes it is very hard - you do have to get back into ketosis and push through the first few bad days again, plus many people really struggle after the first fall- it is said that the first time is the golden time and I think this is true of many diets. The closer I got to goal the harder I found it to motivate myself as I was strating to look OK and one of my initial motivations was that I looked awful at my heaviest.

If you stop the diet and do not go through Route to management in the case of LL or work up the plans as with CD then you almost certainly will regain weight as you haven't finished the journey. Lately I have come to realise that losing weight and maintaining weight are 2 separate issues - I am personally very good at dieting but always convince myself I am alright to go it my own way and never reeducate myself around food. This is not restricted to a VCLD as this happened to me on WW - if you return to eating the same number of calories as pre-diet then you will work back up to the same weight or heavier. The only difference with a VCLD is that you see a bigger weight gain very quickly as glycogen stores return immediately - however this only accounts for about 7lb.



3- Timing

100 days seems like a very long time (although In the grand scheme of things its not really that long) to have NO food whatsoever. Ideally I would like to start straight away but I’m going on a week long holiday in 2 weeks. Would it be better to start when I get back? But there will always be something happening that might seem to get in the way.


2 weeks is a very short period of time to get your head in the right space. I sole sourced through a 3 week holiday but this was 4 months in. Have you contacted a LLC already - it may be that even if you want to start now it isn't possible as they need a certian number to start a group and therfore may need to wait several weeks anyway. To some extent you are right - there will always be something but it is better for these things not to be around in the early days where you are finding your feet - however I again sole sourced through my birthday 2 weeks into the diet.


4- Exersise

I’m a relatively active person – I ride a bicycle to and from work most days and would like to be able to go to the gym 2-3 times a week to keep up a good muscle tone – but will this be compatible with the programme?


You are not recommended to start any new vigourous exercise in the first 2 weeks however if you take it easy you should be fine. I am a gym regular in high energy classes like BodyCombat and was fine. Listen to your body and drink extra water. Also remeber you aren't really consuming enough protein to build muscle, however you can tone up.


5- Starvation Mode and Reduced Metabolism

I’ve always heard things about your body going into starvation mode if you go on very low calorie diets and that your metabolism is significantly reduced in the long run – so that you will have to eat less calories to stay at the same weight? Is this also the case with lighter life? Or does the reintroducing food phase deal with this?

You do not go into a starvation response on these diets - the nutrients and pack components are carefully weighted to ensure you go into ketosis - a different way for your body to produce the energy it needs. There is no reason for your metabolism to drop but it is important to go through a reintroduction phase on any diet so you learn how many calories your body needs to function while maintaning a healthy weight.


6 – Hair Loss

That totally freaks me out. Because I haven’t got much hair as it is… how common is this?

Hair loss can occur on any diet program - don't take this as gospel but I would imagine it is something to do with protein levels - in the same way you don't build muscle on this diet the body doesn't see any spare protein for lots of hair growth. I experienced mild hair loss after about 4 months but have thick hair so it was a relief! Some get it, some don't and you need to decide how important this is. It seems in most cases to be temporary - mine has certainly come back.

Good luck with whatever you go with. Sorry for any spelling mistakes, I'm ever so sleepy!

Kerrie x
 
Fantastic reply Kerrie.
I can't add much to that, just a couple of things.

With the food reintroduction, it is very important to go through RTM.
You metabolism is lowered while in abstinence and the management program is designed to gradually raise it again as well reintroduce you to the world of food. You will find that your tastes totally change and healthy eating can be very enjoyable.
If you went straight from abstinence to eating 'normally' again you would put weight back on as your metabolism would not be able to deal with the amount you are eating, you would also instantly put back on the glycogen rather than it happen gradually.
You need to learn to eat again. Taking the weight off is actually the easy bit, you need to learn to take care of yourself and keep the weight off.

Hair loss - basically what happens is the same as when you have a baby; your body only has enough to survive, not replenish hair loss, so you are likely to find that throughout abstinence you lose no hair at all, then when you start eating again, it starts to shed quite a bit at first, then back to normal, you do thin out but it does grow back.
 
Dear Miniwanabe,

I can understand your concerns about LL, it is a huge step to take, but could ultimately be one towards a happier and healthier life. I have done LL and had similar questions to yours prior to starting - which I have answered:

- Willpower

Getting the weight off is the easy bit, what I would really emphasise is the need to address the route cause(s) of your over eating and look at them and deal with them, you'll need more will power for that than staying a VLCD believe me.

How do you resist the temptation of food? Especially at social events?


I have actually changed to allaboutw8 from LL where you can eat a meal a day from their guidelines of food and it has made it so much easier for me as I do not have to obcess about social events etc. Just try to keep you goal in mind.




2- Post – Diet

Take each day at a time..when you come off the packs you can introduce food slowly and see how much you need to eat to stay at the weight you wish to stay at. If you take a very organised and level headed approach to this you shall work this out, if you go back to stuffing your face and eating the srong foods you'll put weight back on.
3- Timing

Having done LL I would not recommend it. Allabout W8 is like LL but it allows you to eat one meal a day. I developed the starts of an eating disorder on LL during the 100 days. What I did was become so desperate for food I would chew food and spit it out..over and over again, yet when the scales continued to show that I was losing weight I did not think it relevant to tell my LL leader, also having no food whatsoever caused me to become very constipated.



4- Exersise
Any form of exercise is good for us at most points in our life whether on a VLCD or not.


5- Starvation Mode and Reduced Metabolism

The smaller the person the slower the metabolic rate as metabolism is proportionate to size - so if you are 10 stone your metabolic rate shall be relevant for your size, or if you are 20 it shall be relevant to that size etc.



6 – Hair Loss

I had the most beautiful full head of curly hair prior to starting LL and now I am left with a thin, lifeless mop. I would not advise doing the 100 no food as people who go on W8 and eat seem not to lose their hair. If you do do LL I would strongly suggest you take supplements for hair growth. They say on LL that your hair grows in cycles and its nothing to worry about, but the truth of the matter is the hairloss problem is much more serious than they make out - you only have to look at the woman who set up LL to realise that.

I am being honest here, these are my opinions.

I really hope that you find the courage to address your inner problems and start living your life for you. If you do this weight loss will be one of many positive effects in your life.

Good luck and be strong.

Mx
 
Can't add much more to Kerrie's post - hope all goes well with whichever diet you choose :)
 
Thank You!

Thanks SO SO much for your responses.
they were all very helpful

I went to the LL information session today and it did answer some things.... but will deffinately loook into W8
 
6 – Hair Loss

I had the most beautiful full head of curly hair prior to starting LL and now I am left with a thin, lifeless mop. I would not advise doing the 100 no food as people who go on W8 and eat seem not to lose their hair. If you do do LL I would strongly suggest you take supplements for hair growth. They say on LL that your hair grows in cycles and its nothing to worry about, but the truth of the matter is the hairloss problem is much more serious than they make out - you only have to look at the woman who set up LL to realise that.

Are you serious????? I know SOME hairloss is common but yours sounds really dramatic? How long ago did you do the 100 days? Has your hair never grown back???
 
Oh sorry to hijack your thread Miniwannabe - I hope you find the right weight loss path for you x
 
yes you should i am not brilliant at this diet and like you failed many but I am still here all be it struggling, whereas with others would of left the fold.

Lost quite a lot and still very close to maintaining
 
hairloss

Dont worry Twinny,

That hairloss story sounds really scary. especially if it never grew back...

Progressgirl, did it ever grow back?
also, on the all about W8 programme what is thr counceling like compared to the LL counceling? I checked the website and there arent any councilers listed in my area so would it be worth doing the online version?
 
I personally feel that if you don't think you CAN do it, you probably need to more than most!

The problems we have, that Lighter Life help with, is dealing wtih our relationship with food, and allowing us to deal with emotion and boredom etc without dealing with food.

I can't wait to start eating healthily, and maintaining control of my weight and my life!

The side effects don't affect everyone. Personally I've had a bit of hair loss (quite a bit really, it's frightening!) and dizzy spells. However, that all happened after the 100 days, and I think most of the nastier ones tend to kick in when you've been on the diet a while.

Your BMI is much lower than mine was when I started, so I think you'd be on Route to Management a lot earlier than me! You've always got the option of going into management before you complete your weight loss if the symptoms are bad for you.

Abstinance is a really powerful way of learning about food, recognising your triggers, learning to differentiate between emotional and physical hunger, and find other ways of treating yourself and relieving stress.
 
Hi don't know if you are aware of the cambridge diet, I also went along to a lighterlife meeting but I didn't realise that the cost was over £60 a week, I am on CD now and its costing me around £35 - £37 a week, depending if I am having tetra packs and bars.

Have a look on the cambridge forum for ideas
 
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