Lighterlife Diet Programme

MrsBeavs · 08-13-2003, 04:27 PM

I was just wondering if any you are on the Lighterlife weightloss programme. I've been on it for about 3 1/2 weeks and i'm finding it a bit hard, but the weight is coming off and I've lost over 6 inches already from my chest, hips and waist.

If any of you are, let me know, we can compare notes! For those of you who don't know about Lighterlife, it's a liquid diet (with some yucky bars too!) that helps you lose 1 stone a month and has weekly therapy sessions with a group.

Look forward to hearing from you all!

Eloise

Maddy · 08-13-2003, 06:53 PM

Hello there

I haven't heard of this. Is it similar to Slim Fast???

If it is a liquid diet I assume it is based on low calorie?

How many calories does it include in a day?

Sounds like you're doing well..... I don't think I could stick with it for 3.5 days let alone weeks!!!!

Well done on the inch loss.

MrsBeavs · 08-13-2003, 07:54 PM

Well, I guess it's kinda like Slimfast but the shakes are much better. You also have soups and bars. Everything (excluding the bars) are in powder form so you just add water.

It's about 550 calories a day, depending on which bar you have (the nut crunch is higher in calories and carbs). The diet provides all the nutrition your body needs in one day and is low carb as well, so you're always in ketosis. During our weekly meeting, we have our ketones checked and get weighed in and go to our meeting for about 1 hour.

It's not too bad, although lately i've been cheating quite a lot, a piece of cheese one day, a slice of ham the next. Not damaging in themselves, but it is getting harder!

But having said that, the results are great and I never felt sluggish or sick once. In fact I have more energy than I ever did. And everyone is noticing already. But I definitely am finding it difficult to stick to it 100% which is why I hope someone on here might be on it or have gone on it!

You sound like you are doing ok, what diet plan are you on?

Maddy · 08-14-2003, 05:59 AM

I am trying to low carb (but it doesn't always happen) and eating 1500 calories per day at the moment. I am aiming to either reduce my carb intake or my calorie intake (whichever I can stick to) as my weight goes down. It seems to me that since the age of 18 I have always "dieted" in some form or another to try to stem the weight gain as I had not realised it was due to PCOS.

I don't want to sound all critical or off putting, but it does worry me if that plan is only 550 calories per day.

I know low calorie diets do seem to get a bad name on the boards but I think if it is reduced calorie and not very low calorie then it can help. Everybody's body is different.

But I did read an article (and I wish I could find it again to post it, I shall have to do some more searching) where if you were consistently eating less than 800 calories per day it can affect your brain chemistry. The result of this can sometimes be anorexia. Obviously, as I said, all bodies are different and what has a bad effect on one might not on another.

There seem to be a few of these liquid very low calorie diets around at the moment. You are being supervised with your diet so that is a good thing. How long have you been following it? Have they talked about how you will eat when you have lost the weight you want to lose?

If you are counting calories usually the amount of calories you start on depends upon your body weight; the heavier you are the faster your metabolism (sounds false I know, but it is actually true) and then as your weight reduces your calorie level reduces until you reach your ideal weight. But if you start on 550 there is nowhere to go from there. When your body gets used to surviving on 550 calories and your metabolic rate reduces because you are lighter it would worry me as to what would happen next?

Have you ever tried any other diet? Has anything else ever worked for you?

Sorry, I didn't want to sound like a mother hen, I am just curious and get a little worried about very low cal diets.

I

MrsBeavs · 08-14-2003, 07:53 AM

Maddy

Don't worry at all! I like people who speak their minds!

I do worry sometimes about the low calorie thing. You need to get your doctor's approval to do this programme and you also need to see him every 4 weeks to get a check-up, otherwise you cannot keep doing it.

There is a maintenance programme which weans you back onto food and teaches you to make better food choices and whilst you are on the liquid diet, you get weekly psychotherapy group sessions in which we talk about why we eat, the deeper stuff. I find a lot of it is very 'fluff' because most people who are overweight know about eating properly, emotional eating etc.

Hand on heart, the only diets I have ever tried seriously in my life have been Nutri-System in 1990 (I lost 65lbs) and about 4 years ago I tried Atkins for 2 weeks but felt so sick on it. Having said that, I was eating lots of cheese and wasn't going to the bathroom regularly so I don't have a lot of pleasant memories of it. This diet is the third one I have tried seriously and i've been on it for almost 4 weeks now and i've lost about 9kgs (18lbs). I don't find it hard generally but I am finding it hard to reconcile my mind (which says this is too low calorie) with everything else. I mean, I feel great, I have lots of energy, it seems to be working well. But it is also kinda pricey and i'm having a battle of wills with myself about whether to stay the course. I don't want to quit if its working and yet I have yet to read any statistics on people who have lost over 120lbs and not regained it. So who knows.

I think that if I were not on this, I would probably be on the South Beach Diet or Somersizing! I love vegetables and fish and olive oil, so I think if I really committed to that it might work. Of course, you are right, I don't know what will happen when I come off this diet after spending 10 months on 550 calories a day. It didn't work too well for Oprah did it???

I'd welcome your advice very much. Do you live in London?

Eloise

Lynn Parker · 08-16-2003, 12:16 PM

Hi

Congratulations on your weight loss, I know how hard it is

I must say Im suprised at the low calorie intake, there is no wonder the weight is dropping off you, Im glad to hear that you have to see a doctor every four weeks.

Id be worried about coming off the program when you have lost the weight you want to, I would have thought the weight would pile back on.

If this is really working for you then stick with it, your right about the energy, I feel so full of life now I have lost some weight (14 1/2lb) Good luck with this diet hope you manage to loose the weight you want you have certainly made an excellent start

Lynn x

MrsBeavs · 08-21-2003, 02:51 PM

Lynn

Thanks for your post, i've sent you a PM

I have decided that Lighterlife just isn't for me. I stuck it out for one month and lost 19 lbs. For the past two days i've been eating according to Phase II of the South Beach Diet and its worked like a charm. I've lost another 3 lbs and I feel so much happier and well, less crazy!

I suppose like you and Maddy, I was secretly worried too about what being on such a low calorie diet was doing to my body. At the end of the day, my health is the main reason i'm doing this so hopefully, armed with all the willpower I have been able to muster, this will do the trick!

Take care

Eloise