hi everyone,i was wondering if anyone can help me out...... basically i have 6 stone to lose and 3 wks ago i began and very quickly ended my lighterlife group--not due to being able to stick to it but affording it.I found i was unable to carry on being on minimum wage....anyway... do you think it would be ok for me to use slimfast(shakes) and do it myself..i have the willpower i know that,my health isnt in the best condition,if you know what i mean!! Also im only 29yrs and have pcos,so i really need to lose my main bulk of weight asap!Slimfast is only £5 per tub which is really good value.Ive tried so many diets im like a walking calorie counter.. any words of wisdom are greatfully received,as ive said LL is far to expensive for me and there are no cambridge diet groups anywhere near i live :cry:thankyou all so much for answering i really do appreciate it.
slimfast??
- Thread starter ceri78
- Start date
Russiandoll
Carpe diem
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but you can't sole source on Slimfast ... it isn't designed for it as it doesn't have the required amount of nutrients to enable you do lose weight healthily without additional food.
If you use Slimfast then you MUST supplement the two SF meals with one healthy 'normal' meal.
I've had to stop doing CD for financial reasons so I know how frustrated you must be feeling. Is there a Rosemary Conley class near you? Reason I ask is that I did really well on RC a few years back; it's based on low fat / low GI which is good for people like me who have metabolic syndrome and find it hard to lose weight when eating carbs ... I don't know much about PCOS but might that be an option?
It's only about a fiver to go to RC and you get an exercise class thrown in. I'd definitely go back to RC if there was one anywhere near me - unfortunately, there isn't
If you use Slimfast then you MUST supplement the two SF meals with one healthy 'normal' meal.
I've had to stop doing CD for financial reasons so I know how frustrated you must be feeling. Is there a Rosemary Conley class near you? Reason I ask is that I did really well on RC a few years back; it's based on low fat / low GI which is good for people like me who have metabolic syndrome and find it hard to lose weight when eating carbs ... I don't know much about PCOS but might that be an option?
It's only about a fiver to go to RC and you get an exercise class thrown in. I'd definitely go back to RC if there was one anywhere near me - unfortunately, there isn't
hi and thankyou for your quick reply!!! Yes ive been on both have lost around a stone but then put all back on and much more.. i do like the idea of taking food out of the equation to be honest and thought that maybe doing 3 slimfast shakes a day would be ok to do..its pretty much like LL but without councelling .. Do you think it would be ok to do?
Starlight
Gold Member
Ive got PCOS too, so I can relate to that Ive been doing WW since January and love it. My diet is much healthier now and thats helping some of my other PCOS symptoms too
I dont think just taking Slimfast is a good idea, thats not how the manufacturers recommend its taken which Id say means that the shakes alone wouldnt give you all the nutrients etc you need. (oops RD said that already! Sorry).
Id say its important that if youre following ANY diet you do it the way it was designed to be done
Ive been doing WW since January and love it. My diet is much healthier now and thats helping some of my other PCOS symptoms tooI dont think just taking Slimfast is a good idea, thats not how the manufacturers recommend its taken which Id say means that the shakes alone wouldnt give you all the nutrients etc you need. (oops RD said that already! Sorry).
Id say its important that if youre following ANY diet you do it the way it was designed to be done
Russiandoll
Carpe diem
Like I said in my last post ... Slimfast is nothing like LL or CD. It ISN'T nutritionally complete and shouldn't be used as a sole source of nutrition. If you try to live on three slimfast shakes a day, you'll very soon start to compromise your health - your body will NOT be getting it's full requirement of vitamins, protein and minerals.
You could find your energy levels dropping and your appearance start to suffer (nails, hair, skin etc). Also, I believe it's higher in carbs than CD or LL so you might not even go into ketosis and find yourself constantly hungry.
If you want to try slimfast, then you should really do it the way the manufacturers recommend ... two shakes PLUS a nutritionally sound meal.
If you really WANT to do a VLCD but don't have a CD counsellor near you, is there a pharmacist near you that does Lipotrim? It has fewer flavours than CD or LL but is the cheapest of the three VLCDs (around £30 I think).
You could find your energy levels dropping and your appearance start to suffer (nails, hair, skin etc). Also, I believe it's higher in carbs than CD or LL so you might not even go into ketosis and find yourself constantly hungry.
If you want to try slimfast, then you should really do it the way the manufacturers recommend ... two shakes PLUS a nutritionally sound meal.
If you really WANT to do a VLCD but don't have a CD counsellor near you, is there a pharmacist near you that does Lipotrim? It has fewer flavours than CD or LL but is the cheapest of the three VLCDs (around £30 I think).
icemoose
The Diet Guy
Just to agree with RD
You must not just have 3 slimfast shakes a day, the vitamin/mineral mix is not sufficient to keep you healthy and you will fall ill due to incorrect nutrition.
Are you sure there are no Cambridge counsellors near you? There are now 1200 counsellors in the country and more coming on each day, why not call 0800 161412 and check for your nearest.
But please don't just have slimfast as that is dangerous, if you do want to do slimfast then follow their guidelines on the evening meal please as your health is all that matters and hence you must follow safe diets.
Mike
You must not just have 3 slimfast shakes a day, the vitamin/mineral mix is not sufficient to keep you healthy and you will fall ill due to incorrect nutrition.
Are you sure there are no Cambridge counsellors near you? There are now 1200 counsellors in the country and more coming on each day, why not call 0800 161412 and check for your nearest.
But please don't just have slimfast as that is dangerous, if you do want to do slimfast then follow their guidelines on the evening meal please as your health is all that matters and hence you must follow safe diets.
Mike
Russiandoll
Carpe diem
Depends on what you normally spend on food and drink ...
When you're backed into a corner because of finances, it's amazing what you can do. We're struggling right now - so much so that I've had to give up CD. I've just done shopping for five days worth of food for four people on £35 - and that's not junk food either. There are times when a VLCD is just out of the question financially and when you've used it as an emotional crutch for so long, believing that it's the ONLY way you can lose weight, then it's easy to be thrown into a tailspin. It's at times like that you clutch at straws: I can understand why Ceri was trying to replicate a VLCD using a cheaper option. But for the reasons explained previously, it just shouldn't be attempted.
When you're backed into a corner because of finances, it's amazing what you can do. We're struggling right now - so much so that I've had to give up CD. I've just done shopping for five days worth of food for four people on £35 - and that's not junk food either. There are times when a VLCD is just out of the question financially and when you've used it as an emotional crutch for so long, believing that it's the ONLY way you can lose weight, then it's easy to be thrown into a tailspin. It's at times like that you clutch at straws: I can understand why Ceri was trying to replicate a VLCD using a cheaper option. But for the reasons explained previously, it just shouldn't be attempted.
Russiandoll
Carpe diem
No apology needed ... I wasn't offended at all - just making the point that some people have a bigger shopping budget than others and aren't actually saving money on a VLCD. I absolutely accept your point though ... for many people, switching to a VLCD is a far cheaper option than their normal food expenditure when take-aways, eating out and alcohol are all totted up.
Each meal on CD is only £1.65 ... cheaper than your average supermarket sandwich so you ARE right. It's just that I feed the whole family lunch on £1.65
Each meal on CD is only £1.65 ... cheaper than your average supermarket sandwich so you ARE right. It's just that I feed the whole family lunch on £1.65
nixx
Full Member
You're absolutely right - I spend far too much on food shopping. I love cooking and do a lot of it - we have 2 fridge-freezers now, full of food (and I wonder why I have a weight problem?!). There's only 3 of us!
I justify my £80ish a week at Tesco by telling myself I'm saving Clubcard points for a fabulous holiday.
I've been there with the budgeting when OH was made redundant a while back. moneysavingexpert.com is fabulous and taught me that I spend far too much so I am mending my ways in some areas.
I really need to set the family an "empty the freezers before we do more shopping" challenge.....
I justify my £80ish a week at Tesco by telling myself I'm saving Clubcard points for a fabulous holiday.
I've been there with the budgeting when OH was made redundant a while back. moneysavingexpert.com is fabulous and taught me that I spend far too much so I am mending my ways in some areas.
I really need to set the family an "empty the freezers before we do more shopping" challenge.....
girlygirl
Silver Member
I can totally relate to this post. I, too, have had to give up even two CD packs per day on my 1000 plan because of the cost. Three packs a day (and often four 'cos I seemed to need the extra one, most days) cost about double what I used to spend on food. I originally thought I'd only need CD for three-four months. HA HA! How wrong I was.
I am using Slim Fast right now, two meals each day, plus a well-balanced meal and perhaps a snack. I take a good vitamin/mineral supplement and try to stick to around 1000 calories per day. You will not go into ketosis on Slim Fast. Each shake contains around 27g of carbohydrate.
You could lower the daily total to 800 but it would be very difficult to get the nutrition you need in the 350 or so calories you'd have left. You could try three SF shakes and a snack, perhaps. If the snack was high in protein you might be okay. Even then I'd go for the vitamins etc, as a precaution.
The most attractive thing about SF is the comparatively low price. The company did bring out a low carb range but it flopped. I tried the shakes - ready to drink - ugh! But it was much cheaper than CD and vastly cheaper than LL. LT I have never tried.
The important thing is to find a diet plan that suits you, that you can afford, and that you can stick to, most of the time. VLCDs are unforgiving. If you cheat, esp on carbs, you pay a heavy price - literally.
I've never tried WW or SW 'cos I'm not a 'joiner' and would not relish being weighed in public. However so many people find slimming clubs helpful and motivating that you might like to try one. Good luck in whatever you choose.
It so depends on what you spend your food/drink money on doesn't it. I found that Cambridge took about 1/2 our shopping bill. (family of 4 + kids friends)
Though I ate more. Probably more than anyone. I filled up on cheap snacks. Biscuits, crisps etc
We never have takeaways, and only buy alcohol at Christmas, so our shopping bill is relatively small.
I'm doing that at the moment. I do it every school holiday. It does make for some strange food combinations.
Anyone for Chilli with cauliflower cheese and a fish finger?
)Though I ate more. Probably more than anyone. I filled up on cheap snacks. Biscuits, crisps etc
We never have takeaways, and only buy alcohol at Christmas, so our shopping bill is relatively small.
I'm doing that at the moment. I do it every school holiday. It does make for some strange food combinations.
Anyone for Chilli with cauliflower cheese and a fish finger?
AmandaJayne
Trainee Maintainer
"Anyone for Chilli with cauliflower cheese and a fish finger?"
I'm glad I'm not the only one who does this...!
"I'm glad I'm not the only one who does this...!
