Day One - all the help I can get!

It's another diet restart! YIPPEE, not! I've been on and off diets for many years and its gotten to the point that I actually think this is becoming a hobby. What would I do if I didn't need to diet? What would I think about? What would I worry about? It's a very first world problem. People in the First World worry about getting fat or becoming thin. People in the Third World worry about where their next meal is coming from.

Anyway, enough reflection, I'm going to add a blog post every day for a week re my diet. This is more to motivate myself and keep me on track than it is to entertain or educate readers ... although hopefully my posts will provide a bit of that too.

I'm back on the Slim2BTrim diet, I chose this diet as I've done VLCD before and their product prices seemed good and there is a Facebook Support Group which can be very comforting when you're having a bad diet day.

It would be great to hear from anyone who is also restarting a diet today or anyone who's on a VLCD. Leave a comment below or drop me a message on Twitter!

My Big Fat Diet Fail (part 10)

I've lost count of the amount of times I have started and stopped a diet. There is always an excuse "My parents are visiting", "I'm having a hard day" etc. Essentially it is self sabotage and I wonder why I sabotage myself, what do I gain from remaining overweight? I think that's the eternal question most dieters have, either that or "What's the local chippies number?" HEHE ... I can laugh as I'm a fellow fatty at the moment.

I'm refocusing and restarting tomorrow (Sunday) as I'm getting very fed up of my big belly and lack of neck. Diets can feel like an uphill struggle but this is why I like the VLCDs as you're losing around 3lbs a week which is so motivating. It is restrictive and I do have this very bad habit of eyeing up restaurant menus when I'm on this type of diet. I'm thinking that has to stop and maybe the ordering of kebabs (salad, chicken shish and chili sauce) under the pretense of 'well it's high protein'. It is high protein but I don't know whats in the sauce, what the chicken is marinated in or if they put any dressing or ingredient with citric acid in the salad, so it's a no no.

I don't tend to dwell on these things but I have to learn from my diet mistakes and there have been many!

So I hope from Sunday I will be posting some very positive blog entries about my diet progress and I'll hopefully not feel like shooting my scales in the months to come.

VLCD - how to keep going

I've been on Slim2BTrim for nearly a week now and lost 11lbs. That does sound like a lot of weight but for the first week or two of a vlcd (very low calorie diet) you lose a lot of water weight and 'loose' weight from the yummy fatty food you ate the week before.

I'm happy with the weight loss so far and the diet food I've been eating. The MRP (Meal Replacement Powder) shakes I've had are standard, not as thick as Exante but a lot of variation in flavours (unlike Exante). The High Protein snacks have been surprisingly tasty. The Novo Protein Bites are really good, you get a 40g bag which is full of light, airy full flavoured protein crisps. The texture is more like a Quaver than potato crisps. You can find flavour and nutritional info HERE.

I'm also having a MRP Bar every day and the quality is very high. I've tried several VLCD in the past and the quality of food products has been so hit and miss. The Peanut and Chocolate Bar (top right) has a Tracker Bar like quality and taste with some real nuts in it. The Muesli Bar (top right) has a lovely crunch to it and the yogurt coating isn't overpowering. The Chocolate Bar and Caramel Bar (bottom left and centre) both have the same chocolate coating and gorgeous chewing texture, like a heavy Milky Way. The Truffa Bar (bottom right) has the same name as other bars I have tried on different diets but this is very different. It's very chocolatey, a nice chew to it along with additional crunchy bits!


I've also tried the pizza mix, which although has an ok base and very nice basil/oregano tomato sauce, is a little lacking. But when you're comparing a diet pizza to a Pizza Hut pizza, it's just not going to win.

The main motivation to keep going is focusing on the great tasting food you CAN eat and the amount of guaranteed weight you will lose every week you're on it. This diet is not 100% sensible and the maintenance once you reach your goal weight will be more difficult (been there, done that) compared to Weight Watchers or Slimming World with support groups. But if you want to hit your goal quick with predictable 2-3 lbs of weight loss a week, this may be the diet for you.

Diet Update!

I'm still recovering from my Birthday weekend (it was long, full of fatty foods and a visit from the parents) so a little behind with blog entries. Sorry :-)

I've now had time to rethink the diet plan, Dukan diet is great but it just didn't suit me. I have little interest in food when I'm on a diet so having to think about prepping for your breakfast and lunch just doesn't work for me.

So I've now started the Slim2BTrim. It's such a cheesey name, you could have ... LessSin2BThin, BePetiteEatMeat, BeLeanEatProtein HAHA. Anywho, it's a Very Low Calorie Diet which some people see as unsafe or controversial. It's neither, it's just a means to an end. I will consume around 750 kcals a day, eating food plus high protein meal replacements. I'm on the Lifestyle Plan so thats:

• Meal replacement bar
  
• Meal replacement shake
• High protein snack
• 150g lean protein
• 250g vegetables
• 2-3 litres of water
• 200ml of skimmed milk

I have done VLCD before and they do work, any diet works if you stick to it. I tend to lose 3lbs a week on this type of diet so I'm hoping for good results. Losing weight when you're in the right frame of mind is easy but keeping it off has always been difficult for me. I'm 100% focused on this and feeling good.

Would be great to hear from anyone else on VLCDs to find out how they're doing.