I am still a newbie to this LAWL thing. DD & I joined on Friday, September 30. I weighed in at 190 pounds (5'7 ) I told them I wanted to lose 40 pounds. I purchased the Success plan, paying for 52 weeks. (same for DD)

Now, we actually started LA Express on Sunday, October 2. We had to have Friday and Saturday to get our last supper in!! On Saturday, I weighed in at 185. 4 which is 4.6 down in 6 days. DD was down 3.8 pounds from her original weight (having gained .5 on Express).

As I have been studying our "Menu Plan Kit" and the Free to Live tip cards, I am finding some of it a little hard to figure out. I am hoping that is what the counselors are for.

For example, while waiting last Monday, I wrote down all the calorie/fat/fiber of the LA Snacks that were on display in the waiting room.
Biscotti - 150/5/1 counts as 1 F, 1 S
Cereal Bar - 130/2/1 counts as 1 F, 1 S
LA Twists - 100/4/1 counts as 1 S
Low-fat popcorn - 120/3/1 counts as 1 S

So, why couldn't we have a 100 calorie pack of Cheese Nips (DD favorite) for 1 S? Or, a 100 calorie pack of Pringles? If a Biscotti counts as 1 F & 1 S - then why couldn't I have a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich (140/3/1) and count it the same?

I'm truly not trying to be difficult. I am trying to get me some flexibility here.

The Free to Live tip cards offer a lot more options, such as M & M peanuts (small bag you buy at a convenience store) for 2 S, 2 Fa. Since that is permissible, then, couldn't I count a fun size bag of M & M's as 1 S?

Do you see where I am going? I know these wouldn't be things I would eat every day (although the LA Snacks you can have 1 per day. It even says "if you choose to have 2 per day, do so in moderation")

Are these things that the counselor can help with? Or, will it become another sales pitch for LA Snacks and bars?

Please don't misunderstand. I am pleased with this program and I am earnestly trying to make adjustments in my life so that this will become my preferred way to eat. I see some flexibility on the Free to Win tip cards, and I am trying to figure out how to fold some of that into our weight loss program in a way that makes sense to me, as well as offers me some things that I would prefer not to give up.

Andi

Hi Andi,

I joined on September 21 and have lost around 10 pounds. I'm happy with that and I definitely see what you are talking about. I DO like the bars which I know you don't, but I only have the bars once a day and not twice a day. They think I'm doing them twice a day, but who can afford that? As it is, my parents paid for the program to the tune of around $700.00. I guess they didn't want to see 5 grandkids without their mother.

The only thing I can think of is that LAWL wants to make the money off the snacks that you mentioned - if the calorie count is the same and the ingredients very similar, I don't see why we couldn't substitute once in awhile - but I would just do it and see how your weight loss goes - I am still a tad over 300 pounds and I probably could get by with a lot more leeway than you could at under 200 pounds -

Let me know if you decide to try it - I have been having cocktails once a week either on a Fri. or Sat. night - it's something DH and I have always done and I'm not giving that up - it hasn't affected me yet that I know of - I figure my sanity is worth something too!

Andi, I agree with Lori. I was on the program before I had my baby girl and was very successful. I joined again after baby because I knew it would work. Substitute equal calories, fat etc with snacks and foods you enjoy and just watch your weight loss. If anything changes then you will know which foods would be a no-no. Make it fit into your lifestyle.

It is a ploy for LAWL to make money on there own line of products - period.
The other thing is if you can eat whatever you want and count it how you want, the counselors would be even more confused than they already are.
First - it's about the money. Second - it's about conforming one and all, so they can count the foods without too much thinking.......
Also, it you stick to the plan as written, it will work, when you start 'tweaking' it you lose the written plan. Let me add, that many chicks have 'tweaked' and lost just the same. to save you some grief, if you tweak, don't write it in your diary, it will just cause you pain with the counselor.

I also agree with Star...don't write it in your diary if you think that they will give you a hard time, and they probably will.

andi~
i can't give you a great answer, but i know when I tried to explain that my 6" tortilla was less everything than a 4" flour one, they just told me the plan is made for only 4". (for a second they made me feel like I was 5 again and my mother was saying "because i said so, that's why")

I know that the protein is a major factor in some of their products and the soy, so that might be something you want to make sure it lines up to when your checking nutritional facts.

Since we are on the subject, on Monday I went to a friend's house and she ordered a pizza with chicken. Knowing that I was going to have this and knowing that I could have a slide of pizza as a CC, I asked my counselor (bad move) if I should just count the chicken as 1/2 protein. Well, big mistake. She asked another counselor and between the two of them they decided that I should pick the chicken off because it would alter the figuring of dough, sauce and cheese to count as a protein. How ridiculous is that! Would it make a difference if I ate a piece of chicken with my pizza? Needless to say, I ate the chicken, and just wrote "pizza" in my diary. Sometimes they are just too picky.

Tina: I agee - that was totally ridiculous - whether you eat a piece of chicken or it's on your pizza, what's the diff? I'm glad I haven't had any of these discussions with my counselors because I have a totally wacky sense of humor and I'd probably just sit there and laugh - they probably wouldn't think it was at all hysterical!

I agree with Star in that the conformity makes it easier on the couselors - ever go to McD's and order something different? Like pickles and onions only on a burger? They screw it up every time! They just aren't taught to do anything out of the norm - conform.....conform......conform -

My COD isn't a franchise so I didn't get the binder or anything that some of you ladies get - I got my booklet with the amounts to eat and my diary - and that's it!! I asked about the binder and informational brochures and they just looked at me like, "say what?"

Mary-

No one has ever told me I can't mix proteins and starches. You're supposed to eat protein and starch together to keep your blood sugar from skyrocketing and getting hungry faster. Anyway-I think that's someone's little weight-loss myth . .

Andi - I've been there with your frustration about this stuff - it was MUCH worse last year until they changed the program.

Thankfully, I'm not much on salty snacks, so that's not something I miss - however, ff ice cream IS = 1 starch - so go for your skinny cow sandwich. Most ff ice creams run between 100 -120 cals anyway.

LAWL is a business, and one of the ways they make money is by selling all the other stuff. And, truthfully, it is much easier for a counselor to be sure what we're putting in our mouths in these types of processed foods if we use their stuff instead of any stuff off the shelves.

Mary - I never heard about mixing protein and starches - just the proteins ( like in chili - beans and meat?) I believe even some of the recipes use cracker crumbs for a coating.

Lori - alcohol is allowed on plan - it's either a fruit (for wine) or starch (for the hard stuff). If it's not in the book, check with the counselor - there is a sheet on this.

About stuff like tortillas - truthfully - I buy 6inch ones that are 80 cals. the mini pitas are 70. I eat a whole tortilla. But I probably would not choose one that's 120 cals. That's just me.

Julie

I think the councelors get paid a commission on the products they sell. I have substitued items and just lied in my journal.

The counselors do get commission off of the products that they sell so, of course, they want you to use LAWL products.

You can mix a protien and starch. You are not supposed to mix protiens, i.e. surf & turf.

The reason for taking the chicken off of the pizza is fat and calories. If you are allowed so many calories and fat for a cheese or veggie pizza slice and you add chicken, you added calories and fat to your pizza. So who are you hurting, you or the counselor?

Do you really think that she will care if you lose or not? Do you think that she cares if you cheat? The more you cheat, the more you modify to your own liking, the more you lie to the counselors, the more money they are going to make off of you when they sell you take off or more weight loss weeks.

Do what you want. Follow the plan or don't follow the plan. I know we all joke about the counselors being ridiculous sometimes with some of the things they say and sometimes it is obsurd, but most of the time they are only doing what you are paying them to do.

Thanks for the scolding, Karen...I have been losing an average of 2.6 pounds per week, so I don't think that I'm hurting anyone. And I still say, chicken is chicken whether I eat it on the pizza or with the pizza. I just ate 1/2 protein for dinner to make up for it...no harm done.

I have to agree with Karen, if we pay for the plan, we are wasting money making up the rules as we go......Afterall, looks who's at goal and on maintenance and who's not.

Andi, I will make an additional comment - there have been things missing from the booklet (such as dark meat chicken) that didn't make sense to me. Ask the counselor about the things you are wondering about -- if they don't give you an answer that makes sense, ask them to check with LAWL's nutrionist. (we have our own private thread joke about the nutrionist -- she sits and watches soaps while giving pat answers to our questions) -- Last year, things like pasta were restricted - I think we could only have them three times a week, and the ff ice cream only once a week - I did ask why, and if I could have them more often, because I'm really not a sandwich person. The answer I got then - was that it would slow my weight loss. This may be the answer you get for what you're asking. (when they came up with the new plan, these things are no longer restricted, but they have smaller portions - now they're 1/3 cup instead of 1/2 cup). The point I'm trying to make, is that whatever we eat is our choice. If we choose to eat things not on the list, we are deviating from the plan, and it makes it much more difficult to figure out where the problem is, if we ever have a problem.