Hi,
I came over to Cambridge from LL where you don't add-a-meal and though it felt strange to me I really enjoyed my first AAMW - I used it as an opportunity to try new things like fish which I hadn't eaten for a long time and cottage cheese which I discovered I really liked. I had been on LL 14 weeks with no food so it felt good and definately didn't affect my weight loss - after AAMW I had a great loss. I also think it's a good idea as it helped me not to be so fearful of going back to food - I stuck to the portions and tried new things, it didn't make me cheat at all. I think especially when you plan to SS for a long time it keeps you going, helps you try new things and makes you start to think about portion control.
My next AAM starts today and you would not belive how much I am looking forward to cottage cheese and cucumber - something I would never have even tried in the past, not because I want to binge on it but because the flavour and texture was brilliant! AAM helps having SS'd for so long (started with about 126 lb to lose, still 28 to go) as I am getting a bit bored and the variety AAM provides keeps me going and breaks the diet down into manageable chunks - even my partner, also a fussy eater is doing the AAM with me to try new food then having a smaller tea later so I can't sing its praises highly enough!
Also briefly from a medical point of view even LL which allows people to continually sole source has introduced milk week as the National Obesity Forum don't recommend SS'ing for more than 16 weeks continuously so to keep your body healthy they receommend either a full break - not desirable to us or these kind of approaches where you combine food back in for a short period.
Hope you suceed in your losses whatever you decide!
