VLCD Sequel: Electric Boogaloo

Ahh, thank you. I'm trying to be patience with everything because you've got to be, but even losing 11lb has made walking so much easier than it used to be that I'm all like "walk all the places!!!"

The problem is, I'm also quite lazy... so while I think I could do a healthy amount of walking further down the line by making some slight tweaks to my day ... I am worried I just ... won't.

But I guess that's a second order problem right now. I'll just concentrate on not being as fat ;)
 
Ho hum. Second day of week 3, slightly boosted by successful weigh in, but mildly ... not discouraged ... somethinged by recognition that this is The Long Haul. But then I also feel if you can stick to a plan through the third of week of it, when there it is at its most routine (at least compared to novelty and boosts of the first two weeks) then probably you can make it.

I might review my products as I go, since I am still dilettante-ing about. Possible on a scale of:

5: Better than it need to be
4: Fit For Purpose
3: Broadly Edible
2: Barely Edible
1: Vile Beyond All Reason

That will keep me amused a while :)
 
Heh, I was planning to do this too. I have written notes in my work notebook but have forgotten with some. First impressions are important because I look back and sometimes can’t recall if I genuinely liked something or not. I’ve tried to be open-minded and aware I don’t want to be stuck with the same things over and over so just rated yes, no or maybe. Your system is way better. With yours I would
know to forget the last two!

Have a good one :)
 
Yes, I'm already starting to forget what I liked and didn't - also I find my tastes change over time when I'm on a VLCD (I increasingly have no interest in chocolate-flavoured products for some reason). You are very welcome to adopt my wholly stupid rating system - and would definitely be interested in reading about what products are working for you.
 
Initially I cared a lot about this, and very carefully assessed my shake preferences (only had shakes for quite a long time) and made a big second order avoiding things I didn't like, and buying lots of the ones I was saving 'cosI liked 'em best. After months passed by I realised I didn't reaaaaally care what flavour my gruel was any more. My routine just became eat it, drink lots of water, go do something else. And now I pretty much just look at the nutrional value box even on 'normal' food and will eat anything that ticks the right boxes and is low in cals and carbs. I'm just not fussed by food anymore at all, which in itself is quite remarkable. Three lots of anything healthy a day will do, plus some fuel for any extra exercise. It's a matter of making eating just something else you have to do in a day - like wash and sleep - rather than a hobby in itself. I will enjoy treats, but I'm not going to allow food to be an active interest. As a result. I can now barbecue or bake a cake or whatever, then have a coffee and a bar! Soon that will be a salad with risotto and a G&T, or whatever. A tricky transition, maybe, but it's great to know that I can avoid thinking about food for a reason other than being in ketosis! I'm not saying I couldn't eat a massive pizza and a bar of Dairy Milk if there were no consequences, but I actually doubt that I ever will again, now I appreciate the consequnces, and see it in others. Come next Monday though, I will be eating fruit and veg until it blows out my nose, whatever my WI says!
 
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I seem to recall getting into a very similar food-based zen state the last time I did the VLCD thing (and I'm still so annoyed with myself I didn't take maintenance seriously enough, so annoyed) and I'm actually really looking forward to it - I mean, having a too-intense relationship with food is why I'm here. Ideally I would like to get to a stage of enjoying food in a healthy and moderate way, although I'm not sure it's actually in me to do that. Like, it might be the equivalent of an alcoholic saying "I'd like to get to a stage of enjoying vodka in a healthy and moderate way." Not happening.

But while VLCD is my life and my old life is still hovering perilously close behind me ... I guess I might as well as keep myself entertained as I go.
 
Ah, you'll be fine ya will. My basic plan will be something like: yoghurt and fruit for brekky (porridge when cold) while chopping and bunging some stew or chilli or something in the slow cooker; a walk and a salad for lunch (egg probably, it's become a 'thing'); then hotpot wotsit for tea, with the rest tuppered in the freezer. I'll change it around with some risottos that are low on rice, big on other ingredients, low-cal stir-frys, that sort of thing. Don't have unhealthy snacks in the house at all anymore and haven't for months so it seems normal now, and knocks braindead evening snacking on the head. But I can always put some pop corn in a bowl and nuke that. And at the weekends, I've decided to use all my calories on alcohol and crack.
 
Todays food reviews:

Breakfast: Exante Maple Granola made with almond milk. I'm not mad keen on this because it's a kind of goop with crunchy bits but that's a personal thing. I can eat it for sure.
Solid 4: Fit for Purpose

Lunch: New You Plan Yoghurt Covered Muesli bar. Way too sweet for my tastes, plus unexpectedly squidgy texture (muesli should crunch, even on a VLCD!).
Low 3: Broadly Edible

Dinner: New You Plan vegetable chilli. This was legit nice and even had a pleasing spicy kick, which was just what I was craving. Totally yummed this up and stared sadly at the empty bowl.
Definite 5: Better than it need to be

I did have an oddly hungry day today which means I am now staring down my foodlless evening from 6pm. But I can do this. Rawr.
 
I have consumed A LOT of that granola stuff and the fake coco-pops. Dozens and dozens of them.
 
Oh and in the spirit of things...

Breakfast: vat of black coffee (10) and anxiety (1)

Lunch: MyProtein Cookies & Cream nougat bar thing (3) followed by a walk

Just now: dahl (4)

Later: fake coco pops probably (4), maybe with a crunchy caramel bar (3)
 
Yay! Rate all the things! I am up for this.

(Also the dahl is going down in my estimation, hovering somewhere around the 3.5 mark now I have basically started living on it).
 
One of these days, I'm going to try cooking the granola goop. I swear it tastes like cake batter (which is nice for a mouthful but kind of weird when eating a whole bowl).

By the way - what are the coco pops like? Given the granola is goop, are the coco pops also goopy, or just wet? Are there many actual pops in the bowl? I find you cannot trust the exante photos at all!
 
By the way - what are the coco pops like? Given the granola is goop, are the coco pops also goopy, or just wet? Are there many actual pops in the bowl? I find you cannot trust the exante photos at all!

The cocopops are ... about a 3.5 on the edibility scale. Basically, you get something that tastes like thick chocolate milk with small puffs of ... ? something? floating in it. I wouldn't call them pops so much as popettes, to be honest. They are very small. They do add texture to the goop/wet though, which I guess is what they're there for. Basically, it's like the breakfast cereal left in the bowl if the only cereal you had to begin with is the weird flakes down at the bottom of the packet.

I think what I'm saying: they are okay but don't get your hopes up.

The best breakfast cereal alike I've found is not Exante, it's this: https://www.thenewyouplan.com/All-Products/Crunchy-Chocolate-Caramel-Muesli-Meal.htm

I had it with 100ml of almond milk and it was lovely.
 
I had a Slim 'n' Save 'chocolate orange flavour' bar for a late breakfast today. I'm working my way through my SnS products with some reluctance because I have, in general, found them pretty unpleasant (I am still haunted by memories of egg-gate). If they're too grim I throw them away but if they're edibly grim I try to eat them because ... well ... I'm on this diet because I've already eaten all the food. Facing down a mildly unpleasant diet bar is literally a #firstworldproblem.

(Although I'm also not trying to, like, punish myself for being fat. That's just something I'm trying to deal with).

Anyway. I was dreading this. But, y'know what? It was fine. Really fine. It tasted like ... when you buy a really cheap box of chocolates and somebody sits on the orange truffle. It tasted like that. Which was okay.

I'm rating it a 4: fit for purpose. Well done SnS!
 
I think y'all expect too much from this stuff. The fake Coco Pops taste almost exactly like a leftover bowl of Coco Pops with a few dozen things floating in the brown milk. My review? They're FINE. I might even say OK. Put them on the Exante carbonara/shepherd's pie/porridge/hot dessert scale, and they'd easily score a 23 out of 10.
 
Yes, I am the Jay Rayner of VLCD products. Only less witty. And mildly less hairy. Or male.

(I mean, honestly, my actual expectations are 'can I make this go down my throat without it undertaking a non-approved return journey'. But I'm also worried that if I go too far down the austerity route I'll cheat in Week 5 out of pure boredom and I am *not* cheating under any circumstances so I'm essentially just playing games with myself and anyone else who wants to play them with me).
 
I managed to hold off what would normally be lunch to about half three, which I hope means I can have a later dinner and thus be less grumpy at 10pm. Instead I have just spread my grumpiness across the whole day.

I had a slim 'n' shake 'chocolate and cherry' shake. Forced it down but it was legit horrible - it was gritty nothing. I mean, I know I make a fuss about the qualities. But bleerugh.

1 or 1.5.
 
If you can be bothered with the faff, the pancakes are good. You get a pile of three little ones, which feels like a meal (rather than the leftovers of one). They have that weird artificial flavour, and a slightly soft texture, but they are definitely the best breakfast option I've seen.

I've just bought some apple crumbles, which have good reviews, and I thought could be breakfasty.
 
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