Diane-
I think we have been through the same ups and downs on LA!! I took almost a year off....gained a few pounds....but now I am ready to do it again! And I am not cheating....so far. I think the time off really helped!

Sirk-
You did a fantastic job! I hope I am where you are now in a few months. Good luck on the remaining pounds!

Hi all I just stated LAWL last Thursday and have lost 5 lbs so far. Unlike many of you I am not going to one of the centers but purchased a copy of the plan off of e-bay as I can not afford the upfront fees right now. I want to lose 45 - 50 lbs so I started myself on the Blue plan after the two day express ( I was given an option of 3 ways to get started) I lost the 5 lbs on the two days so I really hope I do as well on the eating plan. I thought I was going to die durring those first two days and could not wait to eat real food on Sunday! So far I am having trouble eating all of the food I am supposed to as I tend to be a snacker more than a meal eater, I feel like I am eating more food than usual but of course I know I am eating healthier no cookies, chips, fast food or soda for me and I only drinking 1-2 cups of coffee a day rather than a couple of pots. I only hope I can do half as well as many of you have with my weight loss.

Thanks for all your support!

Start Weight 2/20 180
Current Weight 2/25 175
Goal Weight 130-135

Welcome Tubgirl...
I am fairly new here too...and the ladies are wonderful...full of encouragement. Good job for loosing 5 lbs....it does seem to be a lot of food...but you know the ol saying...you have to eat more..to loose more...because if you don't eat...your body will go into starvation mode and keep on that weight. I am curious of the other 2 ways you had the option of getting started? well, again, welcome!!!

Tub-
Welcome to our little group! I tried to do LA on my own, but I need the accountability that the center provides. Several people have done it though! Best of luck to you. If you have any questions, just ask!

5 lbs is a great start!

Thanks for all the warm welcomes. My husband does a pretty good job of keeping me in check since he is tired of me hearing whine about my weight. I have to admit I did cheat today. The stinkin girl scout cookies I ordered last month were delivered and silly me thought I could eat just one. HA HA I ate about 8 Samoas the good news is they are all gone now my kids devoured the rest of them.

The three different ways I was told to start were the take off phase for 3 days which I believe they start you on at the centers

The two day plan where you drink the juice and LA Lite bars ( I used Luna Bars) and dinner consisting of 6 oz of protien and a green vegitable

And a three day plan which is like the take off only you use the juice.

Of couse I could have also just started the diet. The info sheet I recieved also suggested that I start on either the red or blue plan and suggested to save the other plans till I lose all the weight I can on the Blue so as to not make it so hard on myself. I was a little discouraged since I lost 5 lbs in two days and have not dropped a pound since but I have to give it a chance I'm getting close to TOM

Sorry my Two yr old hit the enter key on me before I finished my post. Anyway I am getting close to TOM so I probably will hold on to some weight till that is over. Thanks for all of your support. I love hearing all of your struggles, successes and ideas

I just weighed in...I was down another 1.8 lbs! WOOHOO That is 3.8 for the week so far. I would love to be at 5 by Saturday. This first time I did LA...I lost 5 the first week!

Tub-
The plan the center starts you on first is called LA Express (featuring Take-Off). It is pretty much unlimited amounts of proteins, green veggies, 2 eggs a day and the take off drink (or oranges).

I think they generally start people on the Red or Purple plan. I have never heard of anyone starting on the blue. I think it is somewhere in between Red and Purple, so it is probably a pretty good place to start.

Do you exercise regularly?

The blue plan is much like the red plan just slightly smaller portion sizes. I have not started excersising regularly yet I do have a membership at curves once I get my two year old in full time day care I plan on going at least three times a week. I just left full time employment in September to work from home (My husband started a small business last year and the paper work was getting overwhelming to him) I thought I could keep my little one here work and have all kinds of free time.... HA HA HA. I am working on getting her registered in a daycare that is right down the street from Curves so I thought it would be easy enough for me to drop her off in the morning, work out then come home to work. I must say that I have a new respect for Stay at Home/Work from Home moms its harder than going into an office everyday. I am hoping getting her in Day care will help me get a routine down which has been the most frustrating part of the whole deal.

Today was my last weigh in of the week! I think I am going in Mon, Wed, and Fri after work. That way I am wearing the same type of clothes and weighing the same time of day each time. Hopefully it will keep my weigh-ins more consistant.

I was down one more pound today! WOOHOO I am sooo proud of myself for staying on plan all week.

Did everyone have an on plan week???

Bump

Where is everyone??? Am I the only weekend message boarder?

I had an extra starch yesterday, but I got really hungry because I was up really late. I had a teacup of cherrios. Bad Marcie! I guess it could have been much worse.

I made some crab/veggie stuffed mushrooms last night from an old LA cookbook I had....I modified the recipe a bit. They were YUMMY! Tonight I am trying another new recipe. It is stuffed zuchinni (kind of like a meatloaf stuffing). Will see how it goes!

I checked out the website but still have a few questions. How often do you go? How much does it cost? and I know every area is different but do you feel the counselors are helpful or are you there more for the accountability? I need to do something to lose all this weight (80 lbs) and have never been to LA weightloss. THought I would get some info before calling them. Congratulations on all of you that are sdoing so well.

The ask that you visit the center 3 times a week...that is what I do. When I was traveling a lot for work I only went once per week. The more often you go, the better it is for you (in my opinion). If you weigh in 3 times a week, it keeps you on the straight and narrow.

The girls that work at my center are very supportive...I do not want a militant person there just for accountability. That does not work for me. Ever person needs something different...and like you said....ever center is different!

The cost right now is $7 per week, plus any supplements you want to buy. If you call them, I do not think they will tell you much over the phone. The will ask you to come in for a consultation. Ask them to see examples of the meal plans you will be on for the duration of the plan. They will not show you this unless you ask. Make sure it is the kind meal plan you can live with!

Hello Everyone.....

I have missed this place...

I would like say "Welcome" to all the new folks....

Well I went away for business and let me tell you the temptations were sooooo hard but I managed. We were served 3 meals a day plus two snacks....and when I say snacks I mean brownies, chocolate eclairs, mini cupcakes....and yes....I passed on them I ate the fresh strawberries...I wanted the good stuff. But I stayed OP the best I could. It is just hard when you are not preparing your own food.

So here is my story for the last week. I weighed in on Monday Feb. 24th and I was up 2lbs...I was not discouraged because I believe it was just TOM. Then I left for our office retreat and when I returned after all my temptations and all the different types of food.....I just can't tell you how hard it was. So I weighed in again on Thursday Feb. 27th I was down 6oz and then I weighed in again on Saturday, Mar. 1 and I was down another 8oz. Not too bad. I weigh again tonight and I had a few little cheats this weekend. Soooooo if the scale doesn't move it is no ones fault but my own. I will post the results tomorrow.

Sirk....WTG on hitting your goal. I reached my goal but I want to see if I can lose a little more. I want to have about 5lbs to play with sooooooo I went ahead and bought 4 more weeks.

Jib.....You are doing great!! Keep up the good work.

Tubgirl....Welcome to the group!! LAWL can be expensive but I only joined for the accountability. I did not buy supplements or the LA Lites....I eat the Luna Bars. And they are great. Gives me that sweet when I need it. Looking forward to posting with you.

Hope everyone has a great day!!!

Sounds like you did great Tab! I bet you did a better job resisting the treats than most could!!

I travel a lot for work, so I understand how it is.

At weigh in Monday I was the same as Saturday. After a 4.8 lb loss last week I didnt mind much.

Hopefully I will be down a little on Wednesday though.