Let's get back to chatting and supporting each other
 

I have enjoyed talking to Dee the past couple of days about buying LAWL supplies from a reputable company (Costco), and hope to have some good news to keep reporting. I will try to post every day to keep my motivation up, even if sometimes I might be talking to myself.

This LAWL site used to be a thriving, dynamic blog and I'm sorry the company's idiocy that caused the centers to close changed things. Still, it is a great program and I am looking forward to getting going again. I just lost 5 1/2 lbs on the Fast Forward phase and I am looking forward to having the success that I had seven years ago when I went to my much-missed center.

Tip for the day:

If you want to make a good smoothie out of milk and berries, add 1/3 to 1/2 of a pack of sugar-free raspberry or strawberry gelatin to the ingredients in the blender. You will have a much thicker, richer smoothie or shake without any added sugar. I usually use yogurt but it was not on sale this week so I am making do with milk.

That's a great idea! I use protein powder in my smoothies with milk and berries too- it also helps thicken it up :)

MMM the gelatin sounds good too! I should try it!

Since I have recommitted to the LAWL program, I have to find creative ways to make the food taste not just all right, but great while using ingredients from the program. I was once fixing a smoothie, adding Splenda and thinking about the grainy, boring taste when I had the lightbulb moment about the gelatin. I get the gelatin on sale at Walgreens for 4/$1.00, or about 49 cents a pack regular-price at Wal-mart.

I know a diet is successful when the rest of the family wants to eat like I do. Now it is just me and my husband, since the kids are in college, and he likes to eat more protein and vegetables as well. He is not into the bars, so he just eats more fruit and an occasional serving of crackers.

If I EVER get my pkg from Costco LOL, I'll be right on board with you guys! I love the idea about the SF gelatin! I'm going to grab some today after work!!

Dee, it took me over a week to get my kit. I was surprised, since Costco is usually so prompt. Maybe LAWL was slow getting stock to them.

Well, I'm off to the gym! I'll check back later.

Well, I got in a workout and pretty much all of my water today. I think it's a good start.

One more visit tonight. I had a Chocolate Crunch lite tonight as a snack. It was really good. I was a bit disappointed in the Chocolate Peanut Butter bar I had this morning. It seemed a bit too chewy, without any real peanut butter flavor.

OK I am in for the support! I am trying to decide what plan to start with...

I have the OLD OLD original plans where all your food choices were on 1 laminated card...then I have the colored plans that were books. I also have the new numbered plans.

Any feedback on what plans everyone liked the best?

What plan worked best for you?

I would need to start with the Gold plan or Plan 2. I have about 20-25lbs to lose.

Hi Barri, wow, I just got on the computer and you had posted a few minutes ago!

I went to the center when they had the colored plans. I used Purple and Red. Purple had a little less food, and when I plateaued, they put me on Red because they said I needed the extra food for my gym workouts. I did go on to lose more weight with the extra food.

My center closed before the numbered plans came out. They were just starting to talk about them, but I never laid eyes on one.

I did read a lot on the boards here that people were complaining of a stall in weight loss when they had to switch to the new numbered plans. I guess they had more starch and dairy.

They do have more starch and dairy. A starch is 2 slices of bread instead of 1. The dairy is 8oz instead of 4oz.

I am considering doing the old plan because it did work very well.

There is also a book you can download from Amazon called Counselors Weight Loss Program that is the ORIGINAL old plan with all the food on one laminated card. That plan worked the best for me...more restrictive but TOTALLY worth it because it worked GREAT!

Is that the plan with weekends off? I remember when I was in LAWL, they said any materials that referred to "weekends off" were obselete. I never got a look at the old plan.

I'll check that out on Amazon.

The Red and Purple plans both have dairy at 8 oz.

I don't know about you guys...but extra starch is a no no for me. I think that's WW doesn't work all that well for me. I love carbs! (don't we all??) and given the choice...I'll pick extra cals in the form of a carb every time! I'm not much of a fruit and veggie girl. I'm working on it.

no it is along the same lines as the colored plans but with more restrictive choices. Also there are limiteds...you can only have beef or potatoes once a week and not on the same day etc...

Kind of sounds like the old WW vs. the new, with a lot of restrictions. Funny, I think people take things more seriously with rules written in stone, as long as it is not totally unreasonable or unhealthy.

I was always told by my LAWL counselor that you will lose faster with fish or chicken. I like chicken, but it can get old. Unfortunately, my idea of fish is from Red Lobster or Long John Silvers, LOL. I do like shrimp now and then, though.

Dee, I missed your post earlier. I feel the same way about WW. Way too much starch. I tried it the first time when the points system came out and it worked well, because exercise was mandatory and you could bank points (up to ten a week) but not eat 30 flex points in a day. The more it has progressed, it seems to be about exercising to earn more food. I think of weight loss like balancing a checkbook and staying on a budget.

I like LAWL because you know what you are supposed to eat, the portions are generous, but when you're done, you're done. Also the two snacks built into the program, and a couple of freebies a day, like coffee creamer in my coffee, make it very doable. I am just sorry I let myself get away from the program after the center closed down. I kept it up for a while, but let down my guard.

Good morning, everyone. I've had four days on plan and am already feeling healthier. Sticking to the eating plan and 30-45 minutes of exercise at the gym.

I don't expect to lose weight as quickly this time around, so I am not going to beat myself up if I don't lose 2 lbs a week like I did when I first went on LAWL.

Well I think I am finished with WW once again. Monday will be 2 weeks and I really haven't lost anything. It's hard to tell b/c I am TOM but still...it seems like I am maintaining not losing. I get the same results whether I go to meetings or do it on my own. Glad i didnt sign up. It's just as well as my LAWL shipment should be here Monday or Tuesday. From what I've read ppl that didn't lose on WW still managed to lose on LAWL so I am looking forward to getting started

Good morning! Congrats Tracy! Kutgw!!

LAWL is pretty simple and straightforward. Except for the first points program, WW has always seemed to be about finding ways to eat more food and marketing its snacks at meetings.

My post-40 last time prior to LAWL, and now post-50 body can't lose weight eating a bunch of sugary and starchy snacks. I also won't lose if I don't work out regularly.

I'm up early today. Everyone eat healthy while watching the football games!

According to my scale, my body has been stubbornly hanging on to my weight since the end of my Fast Forward days, but my clothes already feel looser. I am presuming my body is reacting to eating more normally than I did on FF. That's o.k. I know the weight loss will follow. In your 50s, you are in it as much for the health as for the looks. I see too many people I know with diabetes and heart disease. I don't want to be one of them.

I didn't do Fast Forward or Take Off every two weeks the last time I was on LAWL, because I didn't have to. Back then, I was working out an hour a day 5-6 days a week. Because of that, my counselor said I should use the FF method of the Take Off juice, meat and greens instead of the Take Off method of juice, less food and the bars. She said the TO was not enough food if you worked out a lot. I may do a FF or TO every two weeks this time around, just to keep my weight loss moving. I'll reevaluate this at the end of the first two weeks.

So you lost a few lbs this time on the take off juice days and it stayed off? Is that what you are saying? I'm in my 40's and also finding it hard to lose more than a couple of lbs. And technically, I didn't even do that since I gained back what I lost in 2 weeks in just 2 days. I have heard different results with the TO juice. I am hoping to lose enough to jump start so I can get the ball rolling. But some ppl have said they did lose a few with the TO but gained it back in the next few days? I realize there are other reasons for doing it so I'm still going to try it.

I think it's because (unless they changed the Fast Forward rules in later plans) the FF has you drinking the juice and eating meat and green vegetables. You lose a bunch of water weight while you are getting rid of your sugar and salt cravings. The Take Off plan, which (in the olden days, anyway) you do every two weeks afterwards, or as needed, depending upon your weight loss, has a small amount of protein, some vegetables, the juice and your two lites.

Back when I went to the centers, there was also a plateau breaker menu; pretty straightforward. They encouraged you to eat chicken or fish for protein, lots of green vegetables, berries and citrus for fruit servings, and light bread and crackers for your starch servings for five days. You used the same portions as your regular plan.

I think that whatever amount of weight you lose on Fast Forward or Take Off, it is still a good thing to do because it helps you get rid of your cravings and make you ready for the regular diet.

I always get a little headachy the first day of Fast Forward because I am getting the sugar out of my system and my body rebels a little.

I hope all that is explained in the kit. Maybe I can compare notes with you. Sounds like the plan keeps switching. No wonder I'm confused

I never had access to the newer numbered plans. I did hear some people say they thought they had a bit too much starch. You can go on ebay at any time and get a hard copy or a CD of the colored plans. That's what I did when I couldn't find my old booklets, which of course showed up as soon as I'd bought the plan from ebay! I appreciate the simplicity of the colored plans, but then again, I never saw the numbered ones.

I will say that at the time that the newer plan was introduced, they had also expanded the selection of starchy snacks like the LAWL brand crackers and popcorn, as well as the biscotti. So I wondered if the extra starch was to encourage people to buy more of the starchy snacks. It is just a thought. I will say that those biscotti were really yummy, and counted as a starch and a fruit! That's the only thing I miss from the olden days!

Woohoo got my pkg today!! I'm on plan 2

Tracy, do you have a weigh in day? Just wondering how week 1 went?

Actually, I am going to wait until the day before my next Take-Off juice weekend. I don't want to get into the daily weigh-ins and worry if I'm up a little one day and down the next.

I am feeling better and am in a groove with my exercise, so all is well for now.

I am probably too lazy to start a daily thread, so I am going back to this one.

First day of Take Off down, and am having my morning Lite as I surf the 'net. I am hoping for a pleasant surprise on the scale tomorrow.

Dee, don't get discouraged. My body used to drop weight like crazy in my youth, but I have to add regular workouts and really watch my diet to lose half of what I used to. I finally told myself that I need to eat this way just to be healthy, since I am in my 50s and don't need to be eating junk. Funny, if I made it a goal to lose a pound a week, I would be at goal by the end of the year. I know that I, personally, have stood in my own way when I thought I hadn't lost fast enough and just gave up.

I haven't lost as much as I'd hoped, and will probably need the Take Off periods every two weeks, whereas used to, I didn't need them. But in the meantime, I feel better, my skin is getting a bit of a glow from all of that water, and my face is losing that puffy look.

I'm wishing you a whoosh on your scale! I did manage to drop a lb. Thank goodness. it's easy to get discouraged when the scale is going the wrong direction. So down 3.4 for the week :)

Good for you, Dee! I am a little bit headachy from the Take-Off; probably a sharp decrease in starch because of the no bread. I will weigh tomorrow and hopefully have some good news.

I think I will have an easier time of it when it gets warmer, because my only real difficulty has been with drinking all of my water. In the AZ heat, I drink water all time.

Well, I'm down 2 from the Take Off. I was hoping for more, but I will admit that I didn't drink nearly enough water. I can't wait for it to warm up.

yay!! That's great! Was it easier than the FF or more difficult since you get less food?

I think it was a little bit easier to do the Take Off since you have the bars to look forward to. Each day, I got an 8 oz piece of steak (to account for shrinkage) and cut it into thirds. One piece I butterflied so it would look bigger, and the other two I sliced for stir fry. I cut up garlic, green onions, jalapeno and regular peppers and sometimes threw in some bean sprouts to make two oz of meat into a large stir-fry. If you brown the garlic first, the dish tastes "salty" without any added salt. I used a little bit of light salt and some pepper to season. I know bean sprouts aren't on the list, but they are basically water so I just added them for a little volume. I would have my two ounce butterflied steak with a salad for dinner. It always helps when you can fool yourself into thinking you're eating more food than you really are.

I have stayed in the 183 zone for the past couple of days. I'm totally ok with that as I am sick AGAIN or still. However you look at it. Going back to the doc on Wed. I think it must be pneumonia not bronchitis. I have uncontrollable coughing. And the heaviness I feel in my chest is similar to what I had back a few years ago when i had pneumonia. If I go back on antibiotics I will have to be patient as I usually gain a couple of lbs.

Difference between Greek and regular yogurt.
 

It says that Greek yogurt is. Protein exchange but regular yogurt is a dairy. Does anyone know why and if it is much of a difference?

Feel better:(

Dee, I hope you're on the mend. I felt just like that in December. I waited too long to go to the doctor because I was "too busy." I was just about to have pneumonia.

Lovegoldens, I am guessing the Greek yogurt is considered a protein because of the extra protein content. I don't have a container in the house, but I think the Greek yogurt has about 20 grams of protein per cup.

What is the diet program that requires a certain salt daily???
 

Does anyone know what diet program it is that requires a certain amount of some perticular salt, like mortans iodized salt or something like that in its program???? my friend did this years ago, and lost 100lbs, i cant remember what program she did, but i remember this tiny, crazy detail!?!?!?!? help please?!?!!?

You might actually be talking about LA Weight Loss. You use Morton Lite Salt, which is a half sodium-half potassium product. Not to be confused with the yucky fake salt also marketed by Morton. The lite salt is in a robin's egg blue container, and the fake salt is in a dark navy blue container, if my memory serves me. The LA Weight Loss program has reduced salt and a lot of water to be consumed, but it does help you get rid of puffiness as well as weight.

Thank you! yes, that was it. Mortons lite salt. I have been reading and it all seems very confusing with which plan color for who.... i am going to keep looking for the booklet she gave me, it seemed so simple! thanks!