TAKE OFF puhhhlease HELP!!
 

Ok, this is not my first time on LAWL - it's my 2nd. Did great the first time, going from 198 to 165... then I got pregnant 2 years later. That just demolished everything. LOL. I'm now sitting at 216 wanting back to 165.

Sooooo I'm back, my starting day will be Monday, 2/23/09 - which of course will kick off with the TAKE OFF... which is always the hardest part for me.

I'm not a protein lover by any means so those 2 days for me were always a huge struggle, but for this short time I can tough it out. My biggest struggle is I work full time, 9-5 Mon-Friday, so I have to actually bring food with me to work.

Is there anyone that works full time outside the home that has any ideas on what you shop for for those 2 days, ideas on what I can bring to work, how much it, if there's anywhere (restaurants, etc) you go for lunch (on takeoff), just anything........ anything will help, I just need thru these 2 horrid days! LOL

I usually end up starving on this, resulting in not losing much weight. Ugh

I usually have two eggs in the morning. Then I have fish like tilapia with lemon pepper seasoning really light,for lunch, I make it in the morning. Or Chicken. And then Bring it with for lunch, along with a salad. Light dressing. Then Fish again or chicken for dinner and more salad! HA! Yum!

I just finished that version of Takeoff and had to eat out for my last meal on it last night. We ended up at Hardees where I got the low-carb thickburger plain. It's a 1/3 lb. burger (weight before cooking so maybe it's a 1/4 lb. by the time you eat it?) wrapped in big iceberg lettuce leaves instead of a bun. Be sure to specify you want it plain, since you don't get condiments during Takeoff, and then further specify no cheese. The standard version of this low-carb burger includes cheese, mayo, etc. and they will slap it on there if you aren't very clear. It's probably not the optimal Takeoff choice, but in a pinch, it was better than blowing it altogether.
Takeoff does more for me mentally than it does physically. It just gets me focused again because I'm feeling so dang deprived, and then Plan seems like splurging. Two days isn't really the rest of your life, though it might feel like it when you first start. :) Good luck and be proud of yourself for getting back to it. That's the hardest step, I think.

I have done several things.
I have bought some precooked turkey burgers that are not too perservative/salt ridden. Always check the sodium content and throw back anything that is high (for me 300mg is the high low threshold). I also have brought frozen veggies with me to work and microwaved them to go along with the turkey burger. This is convenient as there is no precooking involved.

I also have precooked chicken breasts and brought sliced cucumber and carrots or celery with me. You can also have a salad, but I don't tend to enjoy it much with no dressing at all, however with cucumbers and sprouts on it sometimes I can eat it even dry. You can also hard boil a couple of eggs and have them diced over a salad too. Or also with the bags of veggies. I have an insulated lunch bag so I don't even put things in the refrigerator at work. As long as something was cold in there to start, it stays OK until lunch. You can also precook a steak or a hamburger patty and bring that to eat with some veggies. Just make one extra of whatever you made for the night before and take it to work with you.

Thanks for the ideas! It would probably be easier for me to prepare and think things through if I were at home during this phase, but if I chose to do it on the weekends when I was off I'd be more prone to going off that phase.

It's not really the veggies I have problems with - I prefer them raw, and even though I enjoy them better with some kind of dressing I do like them plain as well, with the exception of broccoli. Can't do broccoli plain - like eating a cotton ball with nothing to drink. LOL

You girls have definitely given me ideas on the meats though, my hardest part. I'll get through it! It's JUST 2 days... right? ;) Thanks!

My center closed ..I am trying to continue the diet on my own..any ideas on what to use as the take off juice??

arahn - you can substitute the juice with 1 cantelope each day, 4 oranges each day, or 2 grapefruits each day.

litldee - sorry I didn't see this earlier - I usually use the spray dressings while on take off just to have a little flavor on salads, cucumbers, etc.