Alternative to Celebrity Slim?

feintruledpad

Hi I'm hoping you guys could give me some advice about meal replacements. I'm currently using the Celebrity Slim products - have been for 3 weeks, and am enjoying them and have lost 5.5kg so far. I'm wondering is there a better quality/value meal replacement product that someone could recommend to me?

To give a bit of background, I'm a 31 year old mother of 3, 163cm and weigh 132kg. I've always been hovering in the 'overweight' side of the BMI chart, I used to swing between 69 and 75kg, however I suffered very badly with depression after the birth of my third child (she's 2) and during that time my weight ballooned to where I am at the moment. Basically I was not eating well and never leaving the house, plus I've been told that antidepressants can add to weight gain also . I'm finally getting through the other side of it, went back to work at the start of the summer, and am slowly starting to do things like leaving the house on my own, but my weight is really holding me back both physically and emotionally.

I used to always be quite active, and would enjoy long walks/hikes, light jogging, swimming etc, but as you can imagine, at my weight the first two are extremely difficult, and there's no way in hell I'd attempt to get in a swimsuit with the way I look now. I actually went to my GP for help with losing the weight and her suggestion was to get a personal trainer (helpful) but I'd already priced that, and the trainer plus gym membership is way outside of what I can afford. Also as I mentioned, it's not exactly like I'd be able for running on a treadmill for 30 minutes! The other alternative she offered me was something called Xenical, which is a fat blocking tablet. I'm not really keen on the idea of it, plus when I enquired about the cost, it's very expensive. When I was in the chemist, he recommended Lipotrim, but TBH I don't care what they say 450 calories a day is ridiculous, plus it's also about €80 per week. Out of frustration I thought I'd give the celebrity slim a go.

I'm finding the structure of the celebrity slim plan is easy enough for me to follow, in that the meal replacements work well for my breakfast and lunch. Both of these times would be difficult for me because at breakfast time my priority is getting the kids up, fed, dressed and out to the minder and managing to get to work on time. Depending on how well the morning is going, I may not get a chance to make myself a breakfast, so being able to grab one of the bars/shakes is very handy. Similarly in work, I'm always very busy, so they're quick and handy and mean I'm not going to the shop next door which isn't exactly full of healthy options.

My typical day's food is currently:

Breakfast: Shake/bar
Mid morning snack: 30g low fat cheese
Lunch: shake/bar
Mid afternoon snack: 30g almonds
Dinner: grilled chicken fillet w/ broccoli, onions, mushrooms, spinach etc (or sometimes similar ingredients in stir fry)
Evening snack: apple/orange/peach and a low fat yoghurt
I also have to drink at least 2 litres of water per day, which I'm managing, albeit with difficulty.

I should point out that I'm not planning on trying to lose all the weight using this diet. What I basically want is to get a bit of a boost (maybe 20kg or so) so that I'll be more mobile and will be able to do things like workout DVDs or a Zumba class, or go for walks without a) feeling like I'm going to keel over and b) get stared at and shouted at by the local teenagers (yes, that happens). My long term goal is 64kg, so lots of exercise will definitely be needed.

I know from reading other threads on here, everybody seems to say celebrity slim is the devil, but I'd really appreciate if people could try not to lecture me about it (my confidence is already at rock bottom as it is). As I said, it's a short term option for me. I'd like to find a cheaper alternative to the celebrity slim if possible, and if there's one that's got better ingredients that would be great. I've been getting them for €32 for 10 days supply, but that was on sale, and it's going back up to €45. There is a sports/nutrition shop near me, but I wouldn't have the first clue what to ask for, and I don't want to be sold something really expensive. If there was a way to buy it online that'd be awesome.

Sorry for such a long post, I just thought I'd give a much information as possible.

Thanks guys

Typer Monkey

Hi, the problem with meal replacement products is that you learn nothing about making sustainable long term changes to your diet by using them. What tends to happen when people stop using them is that they return to the poor eating habits that lead to becoming overweight and gain the weight lost back.

It would be far more beneficial to start eating real wholesome food in a calorie deficit and loosing weight slowly and steadily. That way you'll learn good portion control and food choices which will stand to you long term.

The weight loss battle is predominantly fought in the kitchen. It's generally considered that weight loss is 80% about what you eat and 20% exercise.

Could you pay for a couple of sessions with a personal trainer who can advise you on your diet and give you a programme that doesn't involve a gym? It would certainly cost less than what you'll spend on the meal replacement products.

Myfitnesspal is an app that you can use to monitor your calorie intake. You enter (honestly!) what you're eating and it will be very obvious where you're going wrong with food choices.

You could also consider Slimming World or Weight Watchers if you think going it alone with your food choices is too overwhelming? They essentially involve calorie limitation but you count 'points' or 'syns' instead of counting calories. I think a group like these would be a far better kick start than meal replacement products.

Don't worry about exercise initially. That can come with time when your confidence improves. Your diet is where you should focus your efforts initially.

Good luck