I've been lurking on your site and the ivillage site; they’re great sites.

I am Holly, 36, mom to 13 month old Luke. I'm 5'5" and weighed 157.7 at my initial consultation two weeks ago. I was quoted $304 for the 8 week body makeover or $483 for 10 weeks wl, 6 stab, and 52 maint. I did not join but am still mulling it over. It is a lot of money but WELL worth it if it works. They called today and said that they have a new special and I can get the $483 deal for only $269 now. This special goes through Saturday, so I may go join during lunch Friday. Mine is a center that requires lites and I already told them I was not allergic to the ingredients, so it looks like I’ll be eating them. Duh!

I am concerned about the low calorie aspect of the diet/lifestyle change. I'm guessing at my weight I'll be on gold with lites. Is it so low that I am going to be forced into starvation mode? That is my biggest concern now that the price dropped. Is there anything that you recommend that I seriously consider before joining? Are weigh ins 2x per week?

Thanks for any input!

Hiya! I am only 8 weeks in, and by no means an expert, but I think I can add a little here to help. They say you should WI 3x weekly, and it does help you stay on track. I personally go twice weekly.

The lites help me very much, especially when you are craving something sweet or even chocolatey. (sp?). I certainly think you should get them!

Holly - First, I would read the What is LA Weight Loss at the top of the page. That will give you an idea of things. Second, I wouldn't worry about the "starvation mode" thing. If the program didn't work they wouldn't be in business. So you won't starve. What you will find is that you are eating more lean protein, more fruit and more veggies. You are eating less carbs and junk food. It's an adjustment, but not starvation. If you were to be on gold you would get two servings of protein a day. A serving is 2 eggs, 6oz chicken breast, 4oz red meat, 5oz fish, 1c beans, 1 veggie burger, just to give you an idea. You also only get two starches, which is 1 slice lite bread, 1/3c rice or pasta. But you get two lites a day also (think Luna bars). You won't starve by any means, but it is an adjustment. But what is really cool about the program is it re-programs you. Sure, certain things are off limits until you get to maintenance, but those are things that you don't want to make part of your daily lifestyle anyway. You will learn how to automatically make healthier choices, and to eat at regular intervals insteat of starving yourself all day only to binge at night.

And, lastly, the deal they are offering you is pretty darn good!

If you do join, I hope you join us too. Let us know if you have any more questions.

I have been doing this a short time as well, BUT I think this is not nearly as hard as other programs. Maybe I am just really ready to do it. I think the food amount is fine, I am never STARVING, I have trouble getting it all in sometimes actually. The bars have taken the edge off when I have those moments of looking for something extra.
I weigh in 2xs a week and I need to do that for accountability and to see change.
I say do the bars, coarse I guess at your place you have to. If your ready to make the commitment and its what you can afford do it. I am soooo glad I did and I just started.

Thanks for the input. I have definitely read the info threads more than once. I knew I wouldn't literally starve; I just didn't want to go to an unhealthy calorie range

Don't tell Dan, but I was actually driving in my car eating Wendy's fries when they called from the COD! Is that a sign?

LOL! Holly, it sounds like you're definitely ready!

And about the calorie range, you will find that on gold you're still around 1200. And with that, same thing I said before, if it didn't work (i.e. people went into starvation mode and stalled) they wouldn't be in business.

But look at it this way for estimates:

Protein: 2 6oz servings chicken = 240 calories ea. = 480
Starch: 2 servings at the low end = 40 calories ea. = 80
Fruit: 3 servings at 60 calories ea. = 180
3 veggies at 25 calories ea. = 75
1 fat at 40 calories
1 dairy at 100 calories
2 lites at 160 calories ea (low end) = 320

Total for the day without any condiments is 1275

Healthy range and healthy portions.

Hey! I saw that!!

You know what's funny.. After Liz and I decided to "take the plunge" into the program, the night before we officially started, I went out and bought a bag of fries from my favorite burger place here in Albuquerque, simply because I knew it would be a LONG time before I'd ever have them again...

Hi - I just wanted to add in my perspective as a former LAWL user. I found the food part of the program to be quite simple and easy to adhere to the problem comes from the pushy sales people who are your "counselors". Granted, I have heard that some centers are not this way and they have employees that genuinely care, but from my experience they only cared as long as you were forking over some kind of cash each week for a product - which for me was a real problem. It made me want to avoid weighing in so that I wouldn't have to be pushed into buying something. I committed to the lites and they are pricey - they do help, but there are much cheaper bars out there if you need them.

The price they're quoting you doesn't include the Take Off Juice which is also expensive or the other bars. However, if you can find a counselor who truly is there to help people I think the program can be successful - however, personally i found more success on my own.

Good Luck!

C.

Thanks for the perspective. The price they quoted includes a starter pack, so a couple of boxes of bars and one bottle of juice I believe, along with a few trial snacks. I'm glad to have this advice before I go. I did read all of the beginner info and pricing as I could find it before I went. The info here kept me from being shocked at the pricing!

as shocking as the price may seem--we like to also think in terms of all the junk we are not eating--drive thru gets expensive! Even just my daily stop at the C-store for their cappucino (sp) ran about $10 a week, not to mention the Sonic after school treats, and the list goes on and on--lol.

i'm sure many will agree with me on this one..it's an investment on your health. you invest so much time, money elsewhere..why not on yourself and living a longer, happier life? that was my take on it. and this time i am not giving up after a few months. i'm sticking it out til the end!

Hi Holly. I've been on the program for 1 week. I like it. It's pretty simple to follow and I like that I go to the center 3 times a week--it's keeps me on track. It's pricey but I decided to do something for me for a change. lol I don't mind paying the price as long as I see results and so far I have.

The lites are pretty tasty. I didn't know if I'd like them but I do and I actually look forward to eating them. It's like a treat.

Good luck with whatever you decide. Price wise--that sounds like a good fee they have with the sale.

My $0.02 on the price of the program. Before LAWL I was stopping every weekday for a sandwich, chips and drink from 7-11. It was about $6/day, and that was just breakfast. Take the $30 from that and apply it to my lites (even the highest rate of $29/week) and my weight loss is only costing me the weekly fee ($7 when I joined). Actually seems like a bargain in comparison. And you don't have to spend a lot of money on groceries and food. If you eat what's in season or on sale, you will find you get lots of variety for little $$$.

Another thought..........if you could write a check tomorrow and that would gaurantee your WL success, would it be worth it? Becuase if you follow the program, that is really what you are doing.........you are committing to making your goal.....and with lots of help. You are worth it

Ok, I have an appointment for tomorrow to see what we can do. I will let you know how it goes.
I truly appreciate all of the positive comments and thoughts. Hey, you don't work for LAWL, do you? j/k.
I had a positive experience with the COD so far; let's hope it continues.