Okay so, i am going to post this here, as i had posted it on pureathomes forum and it got deleted (I guess they dont allow posts that don't 100% agree w/ their system!)

So basically..
I saw a registered dietician this week. I have stalled out at LAWL and wanted to go see a professional who could maybe analyze what i was eating and offer suggestions to work with the program and help increase my weight loss. A few things I took away from this session were:

1. our portion sizes/plans are typically right on.. i was happy to hear this, lawl is on the right track in what they are telling us to eat.

2. always have a starch and protein together. they help each other more. even if you ate your daily allotment of starches by the time dinner rolls around, eat a starch for dinner again. but make sure its a good starch (high in fiber)

3. bread should always have a min of 3g of dietary fiber per slice

4. as far as oatmeal is concerned, she prefers the quaker weight control oatmeal to regular.

5. and lastly, the big shocker (which is why im sure this was removed from the boards)... she examined the nutritional information on the box of la lite bars i brought her and is hard pressed to tell me how they are even considered LIGHT .. have you read the ingredients ever? half the stuff you cant pronounce. thats a sure sign its all PROCESSED ingredients. thats bad.. the more you cant read, the worse it is for you. the bars have no fiber, not a lot of protein, too many calories, sugars etc.. if you want a substitute for the lites, she recommended kashi chewy/crunchy TLC bars. (not go lean - they are meal replacement). kashi is less calories, more protein, more fiber, and honestly in my opinion more filling too. she said you could also just do an apple w/ pb, some nuts/trail mix, fruit & cheese, etc.. doesnt have to be a bar. just a healthy snack.


so i took all of these things and have begun implimenting them into my diet. its only been 3 days, so i havent obviously seen results yet. but i will keep you guys updated with everything. i am going to follow the la plan, keep going to the center, and when i do something that the dietician recommended that is off plan, i will probably just write it in the book and let the counselors yell at me. and when i check off "la lite" it will really be a kashi bar.

Sounds like you saw a good dietitian!

It is a shame anyone would remove such obviously balanced guidance.

Thanks it good to know the portion sizes are good. The infor on the bars.

Thanks for the info. I was lucky, my COD never yelled at me. It didn't take them long to realize that I was not interested in purchasing their products. I know no all centers are this way.

I am not a fan of the lites, but I am not completely against them either. They have been a great tool for so many........and being overweight is a huge health risk. I think if using lites for X amount of time helps you lose weight and keep it off........the trade off is worth it. I think subbing a healthier bar is ideal......but I also don't think anyone that is happy using them should worry a lot about it. Like I said, I am not a fan of them, I do not use them, but I do think they serve a great purpose. If having that chocolate twice a day is what keeps you OP, then go for it

Thanks for the info. I am also on LAWL. I have found that it is a healthy way to eat, but not losing as quickly as I would like. I have asked many times about the lites mainly because I am a diabetic. they said that they are incorporated into the meal plan, but perhaps that is why I am losing so slowly.
Didnt you have to buy all of your lites when you bought your weeks??

Great info! Actually I have questioned the center about the bars. They would get upset with me especially one in particular. she said I was not following the program and they would not guarantee the 2 pounds per week. Well, I decided not to do them. I am stuck with all these boxes. Anyway, when I was eating them I started to gain weight and I could not figure why. Now I know. They claimed that it was only a trace of sugar to get the chocolate to stick to the bar. Besides, I never ate that much sugar before so that was not my problem. But I have learned better portion control.

No, I did not have to buy all of my ltes upfront. When I joined, they were still optional, although they still tried very hard to get me to purchase them all right away. I simply couldn't afford to do that, and as it turned out, it was a blessing for me, as I found out that I could not tolerate soy. I had terrible stomach aches, and skin problems. If you are diabetic, I would think lites would be terrible for you. You know, you could always check with your doctor. My doctor had NO problem writing, "patient is soy intolerant" on a script for me. I never ended up having to use it, but I was prepared. If you truly are not happy with the lites.....talk to your doc.......I would be willing to be that your COD would have to give you a refund on them if your doctor says no to them. I have no expertise in this area, but I would think the simple carbs in a lite bar would be an enemy to your body.

I know a few people that have sold them on ebay.......

Did they move you up a plan when you stopped using the lites?

Thanks for the reply Mama Nicole. I am so glad that I found this site - it so much friendlier and helpful than the LAWL site. I think that I will tell my doc about the lites. My blood sugars have been pretty good since I started, although my last blood work was not as good as I thought it would be. I bet the lites are the reason. I have stuck to the plan and have lost about 18 lbs since the start of July '07.

You were smart not to buy the lites - they are really expensive. I had no choice when I joined and they are pushing everything else - even apple chips. Last week I think I had to say "no" 3 times before she stopped asking me. Take care, Louise.

I know that the lites are full of sugar, etc, but they really do help me with the cravings and I am figuring that it is better to put 2 of these into my body a day, than to carry an additional 70-plus pounds on my body!!!! As I lose weight, I will consider the nutritional info. of the bars -- but for now, they work for me.

My COD indicated that the big plus to the LA Lites is that they are soy-based which helps maintain lean muscle mass. I'm sure there are other benefits as well; I just don't remember what they are.

However, I also am sure that there are cheaper substitutes out there. I know many people like the Kashi and Luna bars that can be purchased at the grocery store although I'm not familiar with the pricing on those. I got my Lites for about $1.35 each which isn't too bad.

I like all the flavors I've tried and I look forward to them twice a day. That little chocolate fix gets me through my stress-induced urges to eat just about every single afternoon.

yeah, the dietician did say that if you feel you need the bars, one a day isnt too bad. she doesnt like the idea of them, but if i need a chocolate fix and want one, its okay. however, dont eat them just to eat them because they are on plan, if you really truly arent craving/needing them. if an apple or granola bar will fix the craving, eat that instead. thats all. but yeah i definitly agree that if you need a chocolate fix you are much better having a lite bar than having hershey bar! so basically i bought a bunch of kashi bars, for when i need a snack on the run.. or ill do an apple with pb, or laughing cow cheese, or fruit and yogurt.. and then when i realllly want chocolate, ill eat a bar. so far this week i have only needed the lites 2x. ill be selling my rest on ebay, or if any of you want my extras let me know i have just about one box of every kind they make except for the choc rasp, key lime, and fruit and nut.

And I think that is the beauty of it all........many of us have had this struggle of a decision.....to use bars or not to use bars......but the thing we often forget is.......we can change our minds

I do think one has to be careful though............if you want your COD to beable to help you figure out what is going on if you suddenly stall or something.........you need to be honest about it. I know Cassi used to remind us that it really is better to either do the bars (whether they are lites or lunas or whatever) or not do the bars. There really is no sense in fighting the program.......it really does work, with or without the bars..... , but a combination of using them sometimes can get confusing.

That being said, Oodsie, or anyone else who is an occasional bar user (makes it sound like a social smoker or drinker, doesn't it.....lol) if you are losing consistently and not running into any problems, what you are doing is working.....keep up the good work. I whole heartedly agree that overall health is #1........and our bodies absorb nutrients from food much more readily and efficiently from whole foods.

I think so many of us were such poor eaters when we started LAWL that having the vice of a bar that is sweet and chocolatey is just enough to keep our crazy little minds from kicking our own a$$es in our attempts to change so much so quickly, you know. It took me a few weeks, and several stomach aches later to realize I could pull this off without lites. Funny thing is, if I had not had a bad reaction to them, I would probably had a more difficult time quitting them. So, it is not will alone that made me appreciate doing LAWL bar free........I was forced.....ha ha. I am glad now.......most of the time.....but it wasn't the most pure motives that moved me And, now I just love me some SF pistachio pudding with FF cool whip for my sweet fix

Ok, enough from me already..........I just remember what a struggle the whole lites dilema was for me, on so many levels.....financial, health wise.....the feeling of being taken advantage of.......thanks to these lovely ladies, I do not regret my decision ONE bit of joining LAWL
Ok, good night for real now
XOXO

when you do sf/ff pudding as a condiment, how much do you use? (my center is corporate so its not a condiment for me). also, do you use milk in it?

I do SF pudding as a dairy.......and it is 3/4 c. It should be in your book, my COD was corporate also........but then again, the plans keep changing........and yes, I use skim milk