The 7 day day guide to starting Exante :-) Imagine the biggest and widest dam in the world, put me in the bath and that kind of gives the same effect with 100% efficiency. That is no longer the case, there is now space, not a lot but there is water leakage at the sides. Thats thanks to Exante! I was the biggest I have ever been when I started Exante - how, why or what led me to Exante does not really matter any more, what matters is that finally I have found a way to loose weight successfully and more importantly a way to sustain and continue that loss. 23rd of April 2013 was the first day of the rest of my life, the start of my liberation from the prison that surrounded me, my weight. There was no escape from it, 24/7 I suffered pain, extreme pain, breathlessness and was pretty much unable to even get up from my chair unaided. Pretty shameful for a 39 something year old (yes Ive hit 40 since then but 39 is good for now) It was the day I started my final weight loss journey and I decided Exante was the product that was going to take me there right to the end! The thought of starting has me feeling very nervous, I have bought packs before but never made it past lunch time on day one. My weight issues are so debilitating. Looking back to my last holiday and how I suffered through no ones fault makes me want to cry. Picture the scene. 32 stone lady spending nearly 5 hours crammed into what is essential a sardine can getting off the plane with hand luggage trying to make it to passport control which is a fair walk at Manchester airport and the lifts and escalators are out of order. At one point I actually felt like I was dying. I really felt like I could not breathe which made me panic more. Tears streaming down my face, every one walking by having a long hard stare. I could imagine what they were thinking. I have never felt so humiliated in my life and trust me, Ive been through some horrifically embarrassing times as a fat person. I vowed on that day I was never going to put myself through that again and there would be no more holidays till I had lost a serious amount of weight. Day 1 Waking up on day one feeling very nervous knowing it was not a case of wanting to do this but a case of having to do this, dramatic as it sounds, its do or die. Im huge, its a life threatening condition and only I can change it. I have a huge task ahead, its not going to happen over night but it has to happen. I have family who depend on me! Mid morning I realised my coffee machine was going to be gathering dust on the kitchen side for a while, had not thought about that, no more costa lattes! Putting all that aside i was strangely excited to taste my first shake. Wondering how it was going to taste and praying I could stomach it. By 1pm I could wait no more and I got my brand new shaker out and shook away and surprisingly it was really nice. Strawberry was a winner but the banana was the tastiest. The bars were totally not what I was expecting. In previous experiences meal replacement bars are like little chocolate bars but Exante bars are more like a cereal bar and really substantial and I enjoyed mine today. I took it hour by hour, when my stomach started rumbling like a washing machine on spin I would drink water, copious amounts of water, the down side being the never ending loo visits. I wont lie, I went to bed hungry but I did it whoop whoop day 1 was gone and I felt euphoric! Day 2 Oh dear! I woke up feeling like I had been run over by a bus and there were parts of the day when I think I might have preferred that rather than struggle through the day! I had the headache from hell, no energy and for want of a better word fuzzy It was like a mist was following me round all day. I questioned why I was putting myself through this but just kept thinking back to 3 days previous when I was at Manchester Airport. All my whines and whinges on various help forums promised me it was normal to feel bad and just had to be strong. I felt so ill and down trodden that at that point I was not sure I wanted to carry on with normal I wanted the buzz every one spoke of after getting into ketosis, patience was never one of my strong points. Night times are my struggle point. I am a night snacker or that should say WAS a night snacker so I decided on a 12pm 5pm and 9pm routine so I had at least one night time snack. Tummy grumble noises are getting noisier, this better be worth it! Day 3 I have started putting my water in the freezer, I am not a great water drinker at the best of times so 2-3 litres a day is a huge amount for me. The more you drink the more you shrink so I have been told. Had a brain storm today, decided to crush ice in with the water for my shakes and they were delicious, nice and thick and still remarkably creamy. It is surprising how fast my tummy is getting used to the time between packs and even though its only day three it seems to be getting somewhat easier. I have some issues! Toilet issues, not having gone since the day before I started this journey and that cant be good. (TMI Sorry people) Again I am told thats to be expected. I have to say today I was drooling while daughter was eating hot buttered toast. Forget the chocolate bar I really wanted to get my hands on it. I felt so much better today, cant say I felt great but it was most definitely an improvement on yesterday. I went shopping today and kept putting yummy things into the trolley and having to take them out again. Half the rubbish I buy at the supermarket is bought cause I like it so my shopping was so much cheaper! People have the impression that Exante is expensive but off set the cost against daily trips to the shop round the corner and being on Exante probably saves me £20 a day! Day 4 Lets talk scales! I have a pretty decent pair of scales or so you would expect them to be for the price of them but they keep showing err - and yes before any smart Alec comments, I am not too heavy for them and it does the same for everyone. Time to get in touch with Salter me thinks! The kids had pizza for tea. Keep the pizza I dont want it but the crispy crusts are what I want. I caved in a moment of weakness (forgive me I am human) only I did not expect my 17 year old daughter to be quite as on the ball as she was and made me spit it out. I hated her for a second then felt guilty. Its a sorry state of affairs when your kids are spying on you and watching your every move! It was actually quite embarrassing that I even did it, I mean being so desperate that I swiped Pizza Crusts from the kids plates. I am dying to peak at the scales but am holding out as Salter are sending me a replacement pair out today! I do not actually feel like I have lost weight but god help the world if come weigh day and I have not lost weight Day 5 Oh my days, I thought day 2 was tough but I felt so ill today. I am definitely having caffeine withdrawals and food withdrawals in fact any withdrawals possible I am having. I was feeling really sorry for myself today and even had a little cry. Exante was called every name under the sun and I could quite easily have caved so for damage limitation I went upstairs to bed knowing I would be too bone idle to go down and get myself something I should not and the big kids would refuse to bring me anything except a shake and water. I actually slept, my body clearly needed it and although I was not feeling great, I certainly felt a lot better than earlier in the day. I tested to see if I was in ketosis cause I really thought I should be but was not. My body failing me again leaving me to feel rubbish when Ive been told of the wonder of what is Ketosis! Still no motion in the ocean so the ducolax came out in force and needs to work its magic! Day 6 Yeeeeeeha! Ive done it. I am officially in Ketosis and boy can I feel the difference. I am freezing cold and spent a lot of the day under a thick fleece blanket. I have stinky stinky breathe (lysterine strips ordered from eBay) and I have heaps of energy, if I can stay feeling this way I can do this and I will do this. Later in the day I got so busy and forgot to even have a pack and by the time I realised it was 7pm and I had not had a hunger pang all day. Another benefit of Ketosis. I would not advise to leave it that late to have a pack generally but it actually felt like a bit of a treat, a reward if you like, being able to have three shakes within a few hours. Not one thing has passed my lips other than water, shakes and bard since I started and I really did not expect to do it, but if I can, any one can! Ordered some porridge Packs today as I have been told how nice they are and a little variety will serve me well. Day 7 The final day of my first week and my scales arrived but I resisted temptation as wanted to have my full weeks weight loss on day 8. I am still surprised how well I have done this week, I am so determined that I will not fail. My porridge sachets arrived and I was like a child all excited for Christmas and I most certainly was not disappointed. It is delicious. It was rather runny and I suspect I am going to have to experiment a little to get it to the consistency I want but a hot breakfast was just what I needed. I have been told it is nice with cinnamon in it too so I will be trying that tomorrow. There are some people that are sceptical that I will be able to continue this but I will more than prove them wrong. I wonder how they will feel seeing this thin person emerging out of the person I was. All in all I think my first week went very well but there are a few survival techniques I know I will have to put in place to carry on being successful. Distraction! Feeling hungry go do something. Get the ironing out, sort a cupboard, mop the floors, anything to take your mind off food. There were times this week where I think I felt hunger for the first time, I am talking real hunger, the type that burns at the pit of your stomach and hurts. I was never hungry before as I would have a meal all day from morning till night and never left a gap big enough between meals Tummy rumbling? Drink a glass of ice cold water, it will stop that hunger pang temporarily plus increase your water in take. Planning! Plan your shakes and packs for the day in the morning so you know exactly what you are having and when you are having it. Many times since week one I have failed to do that and ended up running around all day on nothing but water and not get my first pack till 7pm. Not good so avoid that happening. Weigh once a week. As tempting as it is to weigh daily, in my experience the pounds go up and down a lot and that could lead to disappointment which can drive you to food. Have a spare bar in your handbag/car so if you get held up for whatever reason you have it there and wont resort eating if you are past your pack time. Tell people in advance you are on a diet so if you visit anyone they wont try to feed you - its not always a great idea to tell people right at the start exactly what you are doing as people do not always understand a VLCD and think you are starving yourself. Remember this is your body and your journey. Surprisingly its to the contrary as 3 packs of Exante provide you with all recommended amount of calories, vitamins and minerals each day so people are often healthier being on plan. Ketosis can cause awful breath, one of the downsides but use some breath spray or lysterine strips if it bothers you (or other people) Get a diet buddy! Its surprising how much it helps to be able to turn to someone who really understands and supports you. Set yourself realistic goals. I have so much to loose and the though of getting to a perfect weight terrifies me so my goals are in stone targets. Something I wish I had done and may still do is put a pound coin in a jar for every pound lost and with every mini target met, treat your self. If you have a special occasion coming up that you want to enjoy and be off plan for make good choices, enjoy yourself and the very next day get back on those packs. Finally be kind to yourself. We all slip up and we all fold at times. Shake yourself off, put the mistake behind you and carry on as if it never happened. So the moment I had waited all week for, weigh in! 14lbs in one week!! A whole stone!! I can not tell you how excited that made me and how determined I was for week 2 Exante served me well and continues to do so. I am now on week 18 and have lost 7 stone 11lbs and can not tell you how loosing such a huge amount of weight has made me feel. Its massive and my life is starting to be mine once again. Ive had to order new underwear and can get into clothes I never would have been able to before Exante. I feel like a butter fly slowly coming out of its shell! In terms of numbers I have a very long way to go but I know with Exantes help and support this time next year I will be a whole new person! Thank you Exante you have saved my life!
Posted on: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 18:36:59 +0000
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