Get Lighter for Life! (Lighter Life)

Member Name: Pollay

Product:	Lighter Life
Date:	07/07/09 (1248 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fast Weight Loss, good counselling

Disadvantages: Relatively expensive, bad breath, will require a complete lifestyle change to maintain weight

--- My Experience ---

So.... I'm a 28 year old male, 6' 2" tall and weighing in at an impressive 19 stone (and no it's not muscle!). As I stand there looking in the mirror whilst patting my swollen stomach I think to myself, "Are men supposed to look like they're in full term pregnancy or is it just me?"

My weight was affecting just about every aspect of my life. I felt self concious as I walked to the shops, having to wear baggy clothes to cover my size. Speaking of clothes, I wasn't able to shop in most high street shops due to my 40" waist and ended up having to trawl through the XL rail at TK Max most of the time! Oh and the one thing I really hated about myself was that damn I used to sweat! At times I felt like Niagara falls had relocated to my forehead it was that bad. The sweat literally poured off me with the slightest bit of exertion.

So I decided it was about time that I did something. Now I tried my fare share of diets in the past, none of which seemed to do the trick. I had never heard of Lighter Life, until one day I bumped into a guy I used to work with who I hadn't seen for 2 years, when my jaw almost fell to the floor. "Where's the rest of you gone?" I shouted in disbelief!

"Lighter Life mate, it really works," he replied. Now let me tell you that this guy had lost that much weight, he was almost unrecognisable. He went on to tell me that he had lost over 5 stone, had kept it off for about a year and had never felt better. So we shook hands whilst he walked on, head held high, whilst I was left there slouched, staring at my gut in the window of Clinton Cards.

Lighter Life, could this be the answer I thought? So I rushed home and frantically went onto the Lighter Life website (www.lighterlife.com). Having digested (excuse the pun) some very informative facts I was put in touch with my local Lighter Life councillor via the free phone enquiry number.

I spoke at length with a very friendly and knowledgeable lady and we chatted for about 30 minutes discussing the pro's and con's of the diet. She invited me to her office which was only 10 minutes away and three days later I was there. She sat me down and handed me a rather clinical looking white pot which contained what looked like purple sherbet. "I don't think sherbet is going to help with my weight loss" I said with a puzzled look on my face. She laughed and explained that it was a drink. She then mixed a tea spoon of the fruits of the forest flavoured sherbet stuff with some ice cold water and handed it to me. To my surprise it tasted really nice!

I then watched a DVD about the diet and completed a health questionnaire. I was asked to take a form to my GP which was like a health check up to ensure that there were no medical reasons preventing me from doing to the diet. Having been given a clean, if not overweight bill of health I was ready to start my Lighter Life journey!

--- So How Does it Work? ---

The first thing thing that Lighter Life will work out is your Body Mass Index or BMI. This is a rating based on your weight in relation to your height.

A BMI between 25-29.9 would mean that the Lighter Life Lite diet is recommended, where you have 3 meal packs and a normal, balanced meal.

A BMI over 30 would mean that you would be recommended for the full Lighter Life program consisting of 4 meal packs a day with no conventional meals, otherwise known as an abstinence diet.

The diet lasts for 8 weeks and throughout the whole diet you will have to drink plenty of water and you are permitted to have some drinks such as black tea or coffee but no sugar free drinks unfortuantely!

Having a BMI of 33.9 I qualified for the full Lighter Life Diet which is a Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD), working in combination with ketosis. My daily calorie intake is around 600 calories per day which is well under the recommended 2000 per day for women or 2500 per day for men. This alone would cause weight loss, however if you were to eat only 600 calories per day eating normally you would soon feel lethargic, hungry and probably wouldn't be taking in all of your daily nutrient requirements. That's where Ketosis steps in.

Ketosis is induced through a low-carbohydrate diet which means for the duration of the Lighter Life diet you are only able to eat or drink the specially formulated meal packs supplied by Lighter Life as your main meals. After about 48 hours into the diet your body will start to burn ketones in order utilize the energy from fat stores rather than burning glycogen which is created from carbohydrates. In other words, you are burning fat for the energy you need in much the same way as the Atkins diet.

However, unlike the Atkins diet which encourages you to eat fatty food, the Lighter Life meal packs are nutritrionally balanced and should deliver all of your body's Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of vitamins and minerals.
If done correctly, with your body in ketosis, you should not be left feeling hungry as your body will use your fat for energy as and when it is required.

In addition to the science behind the diet, Lighter Life also provide counselling through same sex meetings once a week. Now I was shocked at first when I head this, as I have never had counselling in my entire life. However put quite bluntly, my over eating was a habit, a habit which for most requires a certain degree of counselling to overcome.

So once a week I meet up with with a bunch of other fellas (and no it's not like Fat Friends off the TV) and we have a laugh and chat whilst we all get weighed individually and pick up a weeks supply of meal packs.

The session lasts for about 1.5 hours and the last hour is where we sit down and look into the various reasons surrounding our eating habits and how to overcome them. The methods which are used are not always specifically tailored towards over eating, they tend to be counselling methods which are tried and tested and can be applied to all types of different situations.

I take each week with a pinch of salt. Sometimes what is said is helpful, other times it's not. However I have begun to look forward to my Wednesday evenings each week, if only to get weighed and catch up with my fellow dieters.

--- Daily Routine ----

Being on the full Lighter Life diet I am having 4 food packs per day. I tend to have one for breakfast, lunch and dinner and then one at night to ease any temptation I may be having as my wife tucks into a pack of Hob Nobs with her lush looking cup of tea!

One of the main things to remember on this diet is DRINK PLENTY OF WATER. It's amazing how much fluid intake you have when eating normally and this need to be made up in additional fluid intake whilst on Lighter Life. I am drinking about a pint of water every hour along with black herbal tea, which surprisingly I quite enjoy! If like me you find plain old water a bit of a chore you can by the pots of flavoured sherbet stuff which really do make a difference.

--- Food Packs ---

At present there is an astonishing 15 different choices of meals to choose from, consisting of porridge, soups, shakes and bars. Below is the list currently available:

Shakes
Chocolate
Vanilla
Banana
Strawberry

Soups
Thai Chilli
Tomato
Chicken
Mushroom
Vegetable

Bars
Raspberry and Cranberry
Crispy Peanut
Lemon
Fruit
Toffee

Other
Porridge

Each pack contains:

Approxaimtely 25% of your RDA of vitamins and minerals
120-200 Kcal (Calories)
12-15g Protein
12-15g Carbohydrate
2-7g Fat of which most is polyunsaturated

You can have any combination you like although you are not allowed bars in the first week and after that you are only allowed one per day. I think this is because the nutritional values are a lot higher than the drinks however it is nice to actually chew something!

--- How Much Weight Could You Loose? ---

My counsellor says that I should loose approxiamtely 1.5 stone per month or 3 stone by the end of my 8 week diet. I am currently 3 weeks into my diet and I am now 17stone 2pounds, having lost 1stone 12pounds. I am well on course of my own target weight of between 15-16 stone.

The first week the weight absolutely fell off and it's beginning to slow down now. However don't be put off as this is normal and will continue to come off as long as you stick to the diet (well that's what I keep telling myself anyway)

--- How Much Does it Cost? ---

I currently pay £66 per week which equates to £9.43 per day.

Now this may seem expensive and I suppose if you work on a monthly food budget per person it is quite a lot. However I can honestly say that I would easily spend that on lunches at work, on takeaways or eating out throughout the week. Just something to bear in mind when weighing up the value of the diet.

The only other expenses involved are if you want to buy the water flavourings which are £9.99 per tub and make 32litres when mixed with water.

--- Pros ---

Well obviously the weight loss! For once I can actually begin to see my facial features and I don't look pregnant any more! I feel more confident, I've got more energy, I'm fitting into clothes that I never thought possible and I've finally stopped sweating! Funnily enough I am also sleeping a lot better and I've also stopped snoring, much to the satisfaction of my wife.

Also I am learning a lot about myself through the counselling sessions, which is something I never thought I would enjoy. I now feel confident that once I finish my diet I will be able to maintain my weight through a healthy lifestyle with the occasional treat of course!

--- Cons ---

I'm not going to lie, it is tough and I've not even finished yet. The first few days of the diet I had cracking headaches, which I think was down to suddenly having no caffeine. I have had mood swings, highs and lows and on numerous occasions I have felt tempted to cheat and have some chips or a biscuit. If you're thinking of doing this diet you need to be ready for it, because 8 weeks is a long time without the food you enjoy most. Oh and stay away from Super Markets, they just make you so moody!

There are also other drawbacks such as bad breath and what I like to call "furry teeth syndrome." This is where acetone builds up on the inside of your mouth which is a side effect of your body being in ketosis. So lot's of teeth brushing and mouth wash is advisable. Oh and the other thing which I'm finding frustrating is the toilet. I am constantly going to the toilet due to the fact I am drinking so much more water and can get in the way of my line of work at times.

--- Conclusion ---

So far the Lighter Life Diet has been tough but I would recommend it to anyone who is serious about loosing weight and wants to change their lifestyle. And ultimately it is about lifestyle changes, in the sense of what you eat and what you do in order to maintain a healthy weight once the diet has finished.

It is fast, effective and the results really speak for themselves. A lot of people have said to me that the diet is unhealthy and not good for me, but what's more unhealthy; staying over weight or actually doing something about it?

Summary: Fast, effective weightloss at a price both financially and mentally. Be prepared!