Hi, I'm Kayla, a relative newbie to LAWL, short-time reader, first-time poster, and recent nursing school graduate just waiting to take the state boards.

I "officially" signed up for LAWL at 211.4 pounds on June 6th but didn't start the plan until the 18th (and at 212.6 pounds) for the 2 days of TO, and started following the purple book on the 20th. In a few short days I've lost 4 pounds (roughly) and am feeling a little more determined than I was this morning before WI. BUT I have a few questions that the COD wasn't able to, or wouldn't, answer at my appt. today.

#1-Why am I purple? The quick answer at the COD today was that colors are based on sex, starting weight, weight to lose, and where I am in that continuum. Is there somewhere (or someone) that has more detailed information? If I lose weight too rapidly, can I be a different color and get more food? Oh wait, more food is how I got into this mess...

#2-I pushed really really hard, citing my occasional lack of keeping time, for a substitute for the LA Lite bars. I've read here about Luna bars and find those a more reasonably priced option, but HEAVEN FORBID I should forget to bring even those with me and all I am faced with is someone else's cupboard, can I substitute 1/2 protein or 1 starch or something else for those bars? IF I decide not to continue with the bars, will that change what components are on the diet, like more protein or starch? Not that that would be the determining factor for me, getting more food that is, but rather the variety vs. cost of the bars.

#3-I have been POP for 5 days, including the TO period, but suspect this won't last. IF I have one of those days, and can't stand it a moment longer, is there something better than something else to mis-eat with? I suspect the answer is going to be veggies or salad, but what about air popped popcorn without butter or salt? Sugar-free popcicles? Is there a "FREE" food on this program? Again, the COD wasn't that helpful suggesting I plan ahead (duh) and "stick to it." I think she missed the point about wanting, no NEEDING, to splurge on something for whatever reason (she must not be an emotional eater). Suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

Kayla

Welcome Kayla and congrats on finishing nursing school...and good luck with your state boards. I'll try to answer some of your questions but others will hopefully chime in as well (weekends are sometimes slow on this Board).

In general, they gave you the right answer. My COD (a franchise) also figured in exercise, whether or not you can do the lites, and some other stuff. Then they have some "secret" chart they refer to. I'm not aware of where there is more detailed info. I say just keep asking the COD to explain the plans and how they vary (and then come back here and post all your new found knowledge!).

Good questions. If you decide not to continue with the bars, all you get is a little more protein and a veggie. NO ADDL STARCHES. My COD actually told me that if I cut down to just one LA Lite per day, I would not get any additional food; only when you cut them out entirely do you get the extra Protein and Veggie exchange. The key to this program is planning, so if you plan you'll be less apt to forget anything.

The only free food on this program that I've found is SF jello; and folks have often said if you go over on something, make it your veggies. An all natural, frozen fruit pop counts as 1 Fruit; 3C of air-popped pop corn or the 94% fat-free microwave popcorn counts as 1 Starch.

Your COD is really just doing their job when they tell you to plan ahead. You can have just about everything on this program: pizza, beer, wine, low fat ice cream, etc. There are quite a few of us that don't follow the program 24/7 for whatever reasons. Some even have "planned" cheat days and know that it will affect their weight loss, but we move on. I aim to be good 80% of the time; I "think" about the program 90% of the time; and I obssess about my weight 100% of the time. If I spent more time planning and less time obssessing, I'd probably be at my goal weight by now.

Anyway, good luck with the program and keep challenging your COD with all your questions; if you find one counselor more annoying than helpful, ask to see a different counselor. Maybe you'll click better with another counselor or find her answers more convincing.

also--if you follow the plan it's not likely you will lose too fast--sorry--we'd all love for that to be the case. When you reach a certain weight (188ish) they will move you to Gold which is less food--the only time they add food is if you are exercising a lot or go to stabilization. Ditto on what Joni said--and planning really is important.

Thanks for the posts, sometimes I get a little impatient and want to know everything RIGHT NOW! I'm going to focus my energy on meal planning instead of worrying about substitutes, and making a decision about those LA Lite bars. Personally, I prefer the Luna bars (even the ones I don't like) over all of the LA Lite bars, except maybe the Smores bar. But Luna's Cookies N Cream Delight is too great! I could eat two of those a day and would certainly make sure I didn't run out. Even though the popcorn isn't in my purple book, I'll ask again next week if it could be a starch option for those snack days. And thanks for the SF Jello suggestion. I called the COD and they also suggested those, as well as SF Popcicles, but no more than once a day and preferably not every day. It's nice having the options.