Nu Lites Inquiry

Today I went to my third consult of the week and weighed in at 121.8 lbs. I'm slowly getting closer to my goal. I met with Mary and she reviewed my diary. In the consult offices are displayed all the LA Weight Loss products on a back table. As soon as I sat down I reached for a few boxes on display to browse the ingredients. Mary asked me if I had any questions or concerns. I said "yes, actually". I then let Mary know about my recent comparisons regarding the lites and asked what LA Weight Loss' stand was regarding trans fats. I let Mary know I had been recently scrutinizing the ingredients in each of the lites I had been consuming. Mary admitted she has had several clients inquire about the same thing. She asked first of all if the lites had been working for me as far as satisfying cravings. She emphasized the lites had been very successful in satisfying chocolate cravings for clients and that was one of the objectives of the lites. I let Mary know I wasn't so concerned about satisfying cravings and consumed the lites primarily because they are part of the program and was committed to following the program step by step regardless of the cravings. Truth is, I've had cravings throughout the program and not just for chocolate. I've had cravings for chips and salsa, quesedillas, pizza, etc. and that none of the lites worked to satisfy those cravings. I have accepted that I'm on a restrictive diet and will not be able to satisfy all of my cravings. For this reason I'm willing to compromise the lites with alternative nutritionally sound products. Mary said she understood and that she could inquire with the nutritionist about the effects of the trans fats on the program. I asked Mary if any of the lites were free of the trans fats. She could not tell me off the top of her head so I went through all the boxes on display. We found the only lites free of the trans fats were the cold serve powder shakes in chocolate, vanilla and strawberry and all the cold serve fruit drink mixes. I took boxes of the cold serve shakes in each flavor with me and thanked Mary for offering to contact the nutritionist. It was nice of her to offer, but honestly I don't think I need to wait for a nutritionist to confirm effects of trans fats on the program. Most of the recent information presented in online news, health magazines, health articles and TV news segments has confirmed trans fats are not beneficial to the body and not part of a heart healthy diet. I figured the LA Weight Loss nutritionist would either respond with a contrary take on the effects of trans fats which I would not believe or confirm that the trans fats are in their products but in small amounts not detrimental to an individual on the program. I would also disagree with this kind of a response. I told Mary I had purchased lites in bulk and did not want to continue consuming the bars or products containing the hydrogenated oils but that I could continue with the cold serve drinks and shakes to get all the products I had paid for. I figure if I want a bar I will buy an alternative product at the grocery or health food store. I will read the label carefully to be sure no trans fats exist in any of the products I'm consuming. I let Mary know I understood individuals will occasionally consume trans fats in daily life but that if I ate two bars a day and was in the weight loss phase for more than three months that was daily intake of trans fats and I did think that was excessive. Also, that much time has passed and I have several more months to go consuming the products, that was enough damage. Maybe I'm being paranoid or compulsive about the trans fats but I'd rather be safe than sorry with regard to the issue. Now on to reverse any damage I may have done to my heart.

Alternatives to Bars, Shakes and Supplements

LA Weight Loss offers their Nu Lite products and Slimdown meal replacement shakes and I have bought them and do like their product. However, you could go broke buying all their products. Also, if you are on the plan more than 3 months you may get bored with the flavors as I have. The last time I went for my consult and weigh in, 122.4 lbs., Stephanie told me they would be discontinuing the bulk rates on products. For example, cereal bars had been $25 for five boxes and slimdown shakes had been 4 four packs for $44.00. That was expensive enough. Now LA Weight Loss will only sell boxes and shakes at their full original prices no matter how many you buy. That brings the slimdown shakes to $15.00 for 1 four pack. Stephanie then offered me a one day special of all supplements, a few boxes of cereal bars and a few packs of slimdown shakes for $169.00. I really wasn't ready to shell out any money that day so I thanked Stephanie and declined the offer. I decided to look for alternative products on my own available at local market and health food stores. I figured supplements, vitamins and nutrition bars and shakes are just made up of the same chemical compounds with variations of course. Also, LA Weight Loss didn't exactly develop their products from original formulas. So, I laid out in a spreadsheet the breakdown of all the lites, shakes and supplments and took my list online and to the market to find alternatives. Here is what I came up with.

Replacements for Nu Lite Bars and Shakes
-GeniSoy Soy Protein Shake (canned powder)
-GeniSoy Soy Protein Ultra XT Shake (canned powder)
-GeniSoy Xtreme Bar
-GeniSoy Xtreme Crunch Bar
-Myoplex Lite Nutrition Bar
-AdvantEdge Carb Control Nutrition Bar
-AdvantEdge Nutrition Bar
-Luna Bars
-Atkins Ready to Drink Shakes

Replacements for SlimDown shakes
-EAS AdvantEdge Ready to Drink (high sugars like slimdown)
-Myoplex Lite Ready to Drink (less sugars than slimdown)
-Myoplex Carb Sense Ready to Drink (less carbs)
-Myplex Carb Sense Nutrition Bar
-AdvantEdge Nutrition Crisp Bar
-AdvantEdge Nutrition Layered Bar
-Atkins Advantage Bar
-Atkins Ready to Drink Shakes
-GeniSoy Bars

I also looked up alternatives to the vitamin and mineral supplements and here is the list I made.

-FB 500 is similar Natrol's brand of Chitosan ($19.09), and has more milligrams of Chitosan
-Tri Max is similar to the Atkins Dieter's Advantage or Nature's Plus CitriMax ($18.49) or Natrol's CitriMax Plus ($17.21)
-Celluway is similar to the Atkin's brand of Accel ($14.99)
-Vita Max is similar to the Atkin's brand of Basic 3 ($19.39)
-Calcium Chewable is similar to most calcium supplements, I take Nature's Plus Cal/Mag supplement
-LA's EFA is similar to the Atkin's brand Essential Oils supplement ($15.99)

I packed my lunch on Wednesday and forgot to pack my two LA lite bars. Luckily I had just made my list and made a copy to keep in my car for grocery shopping. I work across the street from Whole Foods so I walked over to buy two Luna Bars. I had my consult the same day and jotted down "Luna Bar" in my diary. I met with Mary and she viewed my diary and commented on my Luna Bar. I told her about forgetting my lites and she said she didn't like Luna Bars but another counselor at the center who was on the program used Luna Bars for lites. Mary had her own diary in the chest pocket of her scrubs and told me she was also on the program. She commented that she really liked ProMax bars for her lites. I asked her where to buy them but she didn't really know. She said they were the closest in taste and nutrition to the lites and said her favorite was the blueberry cheesecake. I thanked her for the info and decided to look for the bar on my next grocery outing. If I find the nutritional content is similar I'll add it to the list.

What I found after breaking down the lites, shakes, etc. is that each product has a basic build of calories, fat, carbs and protein. If I find a product that has close to the same nutrients I'll add it to my list. Products with higher carbs and protein fit into meal replacements (1 protein, 1 starch on plan) and those products that have higher carbs and less protein fit into the lite category.
Here is the breakdown of the Nu Lites.
-180 calories (40 from fat)
-3.5-4.5g total fat (2-3g saturated fat)
-23-30g carbs
-less that 1 to 1g fiber
-16-21g sugars
-8g protein (consistent on all lites)
-additional cholesterol, sodium and potassium content

The bars contain the most carbs and sugars. The drinks like creamy hot cocoa and cafe au lait have considerably less sugars and carbs which leads me to believe that you can have lite substitutes with less carbs and sugars. Some of the products on my list do have less carbs and sugars. Check labels always to get what you want. Also, after careful scrutiny of the LA Lite labels I found not all the ingredients listed are the most nutritious. For example, the fruit oat bars and honey nougat bars with the white frosting contain sugar and partially hydrogenated palm kernal oil, a trans fat.

The breakdown of a slimdown shake is as follows:
-250-270 calories (45 from fat)
-5g total fat (3g saturated fat)
-36g carbs
-less than 1 to 2g fiber
-32g sugars
-20g protein
-additional cholesterol, sodium and potassium content

I didn't find any trans fats in the shakes but maybe I just didn't recognize all ingredients. However, the sugar content is pretty high. I will definitely be buying the alternatives with less sugar.

What I learned from my little quest is not to blindly follow the food choices and supplements offered by LA Weight Loss. True, they know how to help you lose weight but they are a business and make money off these products too. With tons of other good alternative products on the market at this time it's a good idea to keep the competitive market alive and kicking.

Steady Progress

I went in for my Friday consult yesterday and weighed in at 123 lbs. I am still losing and haven't hit a plateau, knock on wood. I met with Misty and she reviewed my chart. She noticed no one had taken measurements since I first started the program at the end of June. So she offered to take my measurements. My waist went from a 34" to a 28"! I was glad about that. My chest went from a 36" to a 34". I was sad about that. I tend to lose breast volume with any weight loss though so I knew that would happen. My hip measurement went from 38" to 36" and my upper thigh measurement went from 21" to 20". A total of 11", almost a foot! I knew I was losing inches because my clothes were loose, but to actually record the measurements made it sink in. I was very encouraged. It was like a boost and helped me see the last 8 lbs to lose as something to actually look forward to. I don't feel deprived of food at all, at least not today. I mean I know I am on a restrictive diet but I don't feel cheated from the restrictions because I feel like my reward is a few less ounces, which eventually lead to one less pound. Of course that's how I feel today. I might want a taco tomorrow. Seeing the weight come down a few ounces a day is torture enough. If they had taken measurements throughout I may have become more discouraged. My average weight loss has come to 1.6 lbs a week. I'm sure inches take much longer to add up.

At the center they have a board posting the names of the top losers, as in weight losers. So you want to be a loser. The names are posted with average weightlosses of the individuals. I was looking at it yesterday because it is next to the scale and I was waiting while they pulled my file. The top losers had averaged up to 5 lbs. a week. I can't imagine. Just to keep a 1.6 lb average going I not only stick to the plan but exercise several times a week to help with the weight loss. It just goes to show that everyone is different. Some are blessed with fast metabolisms others have skinny fat cells, and the rest like me have to take FB 500. Oh well.

I've decided I'm not going to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe. Because I can't afford a whole new wardrobe. I actually still fit in all my old stuff. Well, I now fit into my old stuff is how I should put it. My tops fit better but I'm not swimming in them. My bottoms fit better too. There are two skirts that have a really loose waistband but I like it. I'm keeping those. I probably will buy a couple of new things in a smaller size just as a reward. But I'm not going on a shopping spree, I'm still paying the weightloss center.

Not blown completely

I had a ball at my cousin's wedding. Actually, it took place over Labor Day weekend. I really had a ball all weekend. I went to San Antonio with the best of intentions and took time to carefully pack my supplements, slimdown shakes, lite bars and fruits. I should have known better. I will have to stay out of San Antonio and limit my family visits during the weight loss phase. Even during stabilization and maintenance I will probably have to come back to Austin and repeat a stricter phase of the program a week after I return. I went to San Antonio weighing 125 lbs and came back weighing 128 lbs. I followed Saturday fine, not too many indulgences. Some Barcardi and diet coke, a frozen margarita, a couple of pieces of wedding cake. But on Sunday morning I ate two huge breakfast tacos from Rita's Tacos. Rita's has the best tacos and still makes them with handmade flour tortillas. Hard to resist. I had a healthy dinner with asparagus and tomato salad and sirloin steak. But I also ate roasted potatoes and ciabiatta bread. Then Monday I went to my brother in law's Labor Day picnic. I had three sangrias, chips and salsa, fajita tacos, pasta salad and cake and ice cream. The portions were small but that is a wide pastiche of food over a short period of time. If I had brought the whole bottle of FB 500 with me I would have had to get my stomach pumped.

I weighed myself Tuesday morning back home in Austin and got nervous. 128 lbs the scale read. I slapped myself back into the Green Plan and did not deviate the entire week. Wednesday I was back at my counseling session. Thank goodness I met with Stephanie. I spilled my guts and told her the whole story. She was very amused over my sangria binge. By Wednesday I was weighing 126 lbs again. I let Stephanie know there were no more family events scheduled for a few more months and that I would not do a full weekend binge for a long time. I was realistic though and discussed the fact that I will probably just indulge every now and then. After all, I don't want to eliminate special occasions all together and I am the one to experience any effects from my actions. Stephanie agreed and laughed because usually clients do not actually write down their indulgences in the diary. I thought that was strange that anyone feels they need to hide their activities from the counselors. I've decided to tell them everything. Afterall, I am paying for the service. It's my nickel if I want to stall weight loss.

By Friday I was back to the previous week's weight of 125 lbs. It took a week to recover from an indulgent weekend. That really made me feel better. I decided that indulgences do occur and can occur without it being a disaster. There are outcomes from indulgences. I resist using the word consequences because I view it as simple as cause and effect. If I indulge in a drink or dessert I will gain weight unless I exercised enough to burn the same amount of calories. But if I do I will just go back to a weight loss phase until I lose the weight and go back to normal. I can deal with that kind of yo yo. I just hope to never play the 20 lb yo yo game again.

Today, I weighed in at 124 lbs. I'm getting close. I remember when I went from 130 lbs to 129 lbs. Just being in the twenties was so encouraging. The digits made a difference in my mind. As I get closer I am finding it easier to stick to the program. I admit I did have a yummy enchilada dinner with my husband at Chuy's this weekend. But I exercised the following day and all this week and have been sticking to my program since. It almost seems like there were no effects from that enchilada dinner when I weighed in today. Some credit must also go to FB 500 too. Nine pounds to go.