I HAVE to come off the plan

I need advice. I started LL on 7th Feb and had to come off because I had a reation to the packs. I assumed it was a lactose intolerance and so switched to CD. I tried all flavours and took lactase enzyme capsules alongside those packs that were not lactose free. I have been on CD for nearly 3 weeks and the reaction is back again - my eyes are swollen, red and the skin around my eyes and on my chin is red, scaly and very itchy (sorry to be so descriptive but there may be somone out there who may have suffered similar symptoms). I'm not at all sure now whether it was an intolerance to the lactose - it could be something else.

I have tried to continue as long as possible but the time has come to stop, I'm afraid. I really don't want to as I have lost 32lbs to this morning (and that's with 12 days off when I had the flu - and inbetween switching from LL to CD).

My query is this. How do I gradually introduce foods without coming out of ketosis too quickly and having the dreaded weight gain? Remember I won't be using any packs.

Any CDCs who can advise would be more than appreciated.

NB: CD Counsellor, Linda from Hornchurch if you're reading this: I'm a client of Jacqueline in Dagenham, one of your sponsees (?). She asked you what to advise me for working with the limited flavours a couple of weeks ago when I started with her as I thought I was lactose intolerant. Do you have any advice?

Waiting expectantly - and still in ketosis at the mo.......

Chris http://livelifelighter

If you're still in ketosis and want to lose more weight, have you thought about moving onto Atkins for a while? You shouldn't get the surge in weight that would come with restoring your glycogen levels through eating carbs.

Have you tried the lactose free packs rather than the ordinary packs with the lactase enzyme capsules. This way you are taking in soya and no lactose at all?

Your allergy could be something completely non diet related do you have cats or other pets? Have you changed your washing powder, hairspray, perfume?

If you have a soya allergy all products are contraindicated.

You need to find out what you are actually allergic to.

Other than Atkins which is not balanced as soon as you eat you will come out of ketosis. The only diet I recommend is the low GI diet as you eat healthily and regularly.

If you haven't tried the lactose free it might be worth a week of doing 1000 cals using only two lactose free packs (no bars are allowed) and low GI food. This way you can get your body used to reintroducing the carbs more slowly and still get 2/3 rds of your nutrition from the packs.

The main thing is to identify what you are allergic to I would see your GP about this and hopefully he will give you some cream to ease the itching.

Linda

Thanks for your replies.

Yes, I have tried the lactose free packs - they're the only ones I bought this week.

I know the allergy is something to do with the packs. There have been no other changes ie. washing pwder, perfume, soap etc. and the reaction showed within 24hours of me having the first LL pack.

I have tried and it hasn't worked - for me - and I shall have to try something else. I was just wondering what would be the best food to eat so that I gradually come out of ketosis and then hopefully don't have a massive weight gain (which I have read on some of the posts can happen.

I do intend to follow a low GI diet from now on as I don't want to undo all that I have managed over the past 2 months.

Thank you.

Chris

Hi Chris - I'm so sorry to hear that your body is reacting in this way; how upsetting for you, especially since the vlcds have given you such a great loss!

Umm - lactose-intolerance: wouldn't you have discovered this before trying either LL or CD? Presumably you've not had a bad reaction to milk etc in the past, otherwise you wouldn't have bothered trying a vlcd which is milk-based? It sounds to me as though it's something else entirely - i.e. not a reaction to the lactose per se, but another of the ingredients, somehow.

However - your best bet is to head down the GI etc route, in order to minimise the damage from glycogen-reloading. But even if it does come back on with a vengeance, you shouldn't regain any more than you lost during your first few days, while the glycogen was being depleted. So have a good read of the back pages of your yellow book.

Hope that helps a bit? Good luck - I'd love to hear how you get on.

Thanks for your reply, Lesly.

As you say it may not be lactose - I just thought it may have been because of the eye symptom and I had seen this as a problem on a US website. My doctor did say I had an intolerance many years ago but I haven't had any probs that couldn't deal with and hadn't put LL/CD together with a lactose problem when I started.

I am taking it easy into eating again and will gradually add in different foods. I've had chicken this evening and will have a little salad with. So long as I don't get 'stupid' and deliberately eat the wrong things, I'm sure I'll be OK.

I'm taking Zirtek (for hayfever and allergies) tablets at the moment and if it hasn't helped in the next couple of days, I'll take a trip to the walk-in centre at the hospital.

Chris http://livelifelighter

Hi Chris - I've just had a re-read of the time-line here (memo to self: stop watching American forensic thingies!).....and wondering if it might actually be coincidental, after all?

I suffer allergic reactions all year round to various things, but the worst for me are the tree pollens, which began in early February and are continuing, on and off.

Not sure how much weight you have left to lose, but it might be worth giving it one more shot, on the lactose-free packs, once this bout of allergy passes? Hope the Zirtek does it for you.