vlcd's, smoking, booze and breaking the habits

Hi everyone ;)

Wanted to introduce myself as I will be on here A LOT for the next six months!

Having done Lighterlife back in 2008 and loosing five stone in 5 months from size 22 to 12, and getting back into old habbits again (drinking and smoking :cry: - which I had given up when starting the journey) the weight slowly crept back on within 3 years.

I am back to being the weight I was when I started a vlcd the first time and have lived in a horribly vicious circle ever since, including numerous attempts at re-starting LL using various rediculous methods I had fooled myself into thinking would kick me into ketosis some of which were Complan, Cup a soups, home made soups, supernoodles (yes, supernoodles) as I just couldnt justify spending that kind of money again on LL packs after completely failing the first time.

Throw in giving up smoking about a hundred times, then putting on more weight, so starting again, but having a drink to get rid of the disgusting taste all amounts to years of total and utter misery and despair at myself.

I must admit at the time of being my lowest I came across one problem I didnt think I would EVER have, and that was, I just couldnt come to terms with my weight loss. Whilst fellow class mates were on top of the world, I felt two things...1) still big - couldnt work out why the hell I could fit into such small clothes? I actually thought it was a practical joke at one point and someone had replaced the labels and I was actually still walking around in a 22. And 2) once the weight had come off, I have no more targets, I had no more adrenalin rushes of loosing. Instead I had the brain bashing notion that I had to find a way to now keep it off...for life. I just couldnt cope and had a bit of a meltdown :break_diet:

Luckily last year we managed to clear our debts, move to a completely new county, found our dream home, got away from destructive friends, found myself a brilliant job, with brilliant people and that I love. Somehow, it all justs seems right to fix this final part of my life for the FINAL time. I actually packed up 6 whole black sacks of size 12 clothes when we moved and at the moment I am restricted to one pair of trousers and three tops, not including my threadbare jeggins, god bless em. At the moment my 75 year old mother is looking trendier than me!

So after much research, I have discovered Exante and one heck of a brilliant forum! So I am preparing myself for Tuesday which is my start day and the day my bumper month pack will be arriving. I have booked up with the NHS to give up the darstardly smoking habbit the right way this time and I am raring to go.

I wont be seeing my family for three months which I am hoping will shift a good few stone and surprise everyone.

My big target is to get down to a size 12 by the 15th June which is a wedding and all my husbands colleagues and wives will be there. I fully intend to be a very glamourous wife for my wonderful hubby instead of this brown haired, unfashionable, untrendy frump who looks haggard and way older than her very handsome husband :sigh:- who really has put up with me through thick and thin (literally), tears of elation and sadness, through weakness and deprivation.

This is finally it....for good! :D
 
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Hey, welcome to the forum!

Well done on biting the bullet and going for it, I wish you the very best of luck x :)
 
Thanks :eek:

This is such a brilliant forum. The Lighterlife one I was using died a bit of a death unfortunately and it makes such a difference to have the support.

xx
 
Oh wow, what a journey you've had so far and now the last one is about to begin! Are you excited? :)

By the sounds of it, now is the perfect time for you to sort your weight out so lots and lots of good luck being sent your way!

Not to be a Debby Downer, but as a smoker myself I personally find that on a VLCD I tend to smoke a lot more so it might be helpful to you to get started on the diet and not try to quit the ciggies until you're a few weeks in and have developed a routine. I'd hate for you to find it too hard to do both at the same time and fall off both wagons! Just something to think about :)

Either way, welcome to the forum - lots of helpful and friendly advice to be found here and I'm sure you'll do brilliantly, just gotta keep focused on the end-goal and you'll be sailing in no time!

rbx:rainbow:
 
No worries - from reading your story it sounds as though you've had a bit of a vicious circle going on :( - so its brill that you've decided to go ahead and do it and give up the ciggies too! A very brave step, congratulations on taking it :D x
 
Hi Rainbow Brite,

Wow, your little profile pic brought back memories of my childhood I had forgotton :wee:

Oh thank god there is another smoker on here...

I have tried soooo many times to restart a VCLD whilst still smoking to compensate the absence of food and other luxuries, but each time I really feel its this that has broken the attempt. I tend to be one of those girls that enjoy a drink with a smoke and one is not the same without the other. I also tend to eat after I smoke to get rid of the taste - ridiculous isn't it.

I find patches really good from previous attempts. To be honest I dont have the excuses of day-to-day stresses I used to have to keep tricking myself into continuing to smoke. It was funny because when I did it first time round, the money I saved smoking paid for the diet and I was so happy to just be doing the diet it spurred me on to give up the weed! It was the very happiest I had ever been in my life. Sleeping so peacefully at night was a revalation - maybe it was down to letting my guilt go...no smoking, no drinking, no spending money on take aways we couldn't really afford and knowing I was going to wake up in the morning and feel physically thinner and not "what clothes can I squeeze into in the morning". I remember that 'peace' and I cant wait to have to have it back again and not go skitzo at the end of it this time. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

So yes...very excited x
 
I just looove Derbyshire so much. Went on holiday to wirksworth last year and went straight home and put the house on the Market. So lucky we managed to do it. It saved me in so many ways. I swapped the sea for hills and totally adore it here.
 
Wow, what an inspirational first post, well done and I wish you the greatest success and joy in doing this. PLEASE keep us updated.
Julia x
 
Good luck on your exante journey.
 
Welcome :) and i can relate to the vicious circles you were talking about, i'll be on here a lot if you ever need a pick me up x
 
Hey up and welcome ... I can relate to ur story too and I'm a smoker too so welcome !!! I'm on day ten of exante and finding it really great so far ... I have 3 stone to loose ... Good luck :0) x
 
Lots of luck sent your way, you've been on such an inspiring journey, I hope the fantastic people of this forum can help you reach that final goal.

On the smoking front the only input I have is that my sister got pills from her GP. She was a 30 a day girl, had been for 28 years, she took the medication for a few weeks and has never looked at a cigarette since. They made her feel nauseous, she couldn't bear the thought or even the smell of it in the street. Unfortunately I've no idea what they were or heard of anyone else having such a thing but they changed her life. Just a thought :)

You can do this, once you get through week one you'll hopefully never look back. You'll also become addicted to these forums and be on them instead of sleeping lol. I will regret this at 6am when my 5 year old bounces in! Night x
 
Welcome Derbyshire Girl. I do a slightly different vlcd and hang out on other boards as Alizonne doesn't have one of it's own.

Congratulations on how you are managing your life and for joining us here. I think quite a few of us are sorting out our lives in more ways than weight. I've left a job that was toxic and am facing up to my disorganisation at home. My work colleagues would be suprised....so with the help of this forum and Flylady, I'm getting sorted.

Enjoy the journey!

Ali
 
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