IS IT NORMAL?

Hello,

I have been looking at all your posts as Im quite new!
Im trying to lose weight for my wedding and I am soo skint paying for LL as I am also at medical school
So 66 quid a week plus tuition fees and saving for a wedding in 7 months time is killing me
Ive been on LL for 9 days so far, its going ok lost 9.5lbs in my first week yay!
I just wondered if anyone knows if its normal to have to pay 2 weeks up front as my councillor wants me to do this even tho Im not actually having any counselling at the min until after xmas?
I also had to pay 50 quid for the medical form cos my GP wouldnt sign it so Im really suffering just before xmas with no money left to buy pressies.
Hopefully it will be worth it.
Also when you go on to management or whatever the next step is (none of this has been explained to me I feel a bit lost really) do you still have to pay the full 66 per week?

Please help me Im worried I wont be able to carry on.
I saved and budgeted for 100 days at 66 pw but not the extra 66 or 50 and 116 quid is a lot to me at the min!

Thank you.

Not sure about the 2 weeks up front bit, I didn't have to do that. If you chat to your counsellor and explain, they might be flexible.

As for management, the money goes down as you progress through the stages, as you are officially only paying for packs.

HTH

I had to pay 2 weeks up front on the understanding that on the last week of foundation (week 14) I don't have to pay. So you get it back. I think its some kind of insurance for them that if you leave you cover the costs of the pedometer pilates ball. DVDs etc that your LLC has bought in advance. I think !

My counsellor asked me to do that too.. I only did two weeks with LL... I switched after that to CD... a) because it seemed more cost effective, b) because they had more flavours and c) because i really wasn't impressed with the "counselling" that was offered for the extra £33 a week that it costs above the CD cost!

Ultimately only you can decide, it really depends on how much you value the counselling and the "group".. since switching I haven't looked back, the flavours on CD are much nicer, I use minimins as my group and I have the foundation book if I want to read up on anything to do with counselling.. and watching a dvd a week really didn't seem to be counselling to me! Plus I found them to be very single minded as to why you put on weight..

Good luck with your diet, Abstinence is definately the best diet I have ever done.. but whether it is LL or CD can only be decided by you.

Phew thanks guys!
Does anyone know what it goes down to?
x

Hi, I've just started Management and it's currently £49.50 for the first 2 weeks, then £33 for the next 6 weeks and then £16.50 for the last 4 weeks.
After that you can still go back and get weighed if you want (our LLC lets you stay for the meeting as well if you like but I don't know if they all do) or just pop in occasionally to check you're where you want to be and that's free (for evermore I've been told - though I can't see me doddering in on my zimmer when I'm 92 but you never know!!)
Hope that helps - please stick with it if you possibly can, I had to scrimp and save and work god knows how much overtime to be able to afford it and I'm so glad I did as I've never felt as good as I do now!

PS. Get your ongoing medical checks from one of the Chemists that do free BP checks rather then a Private Doctor, that's what I did as my Doctors charged as well and LL are perfectly happy with that as long as the first one is from a registered Doctor (£50 does seem a bit of a rip off - I think I got charged £30 and I thought that was a lot!

Thanks Malinky! At least thats cheaper I feel better now
I know 50 quid I was shocked! But it needed to be done
I went to an xmas party last night and didnt eat or drink a thing apart from plain water feel really proud !
x

Well done for being so strong as a xmas party! I've had to decline all social events because I would be easily persuaded to eat or drink. I'm only 4 lbs off my 3 stone target by xmas so don't want to ruin it. Still not sure whether I'm going to carry on or switch to Cambridge after the festivities. Good luck with the rest of your journey.

Next week we are also paying for 2 weeks LL packs as there will be no group until the 30th and thats onlya pop in group. I was lucky my doctor didn't charge for my medical but the problem is LL head office has lost it now i have to get another one. My doctor is now away until the new year so if i see another one he will charge. as i work in a hopsital i'm going to get on of the nurses to sign my form then use the ward stamp. If that's not good enough then tough really it's not my fault they lost it?!...

Pixie you do what you feel is right for you, whether you stay with LL or change, a big well done with the party you have the right to feel proud!

Good Luck hun
xxx

Hia Pixie, don't give up ...

I am sorry to hear of your problems getting the form signed. I had that problem too. In the end I had to take a morning off and travel 30 miles to see another doctor who would sign it. He charged £50 too. After that I made an appointment with my doctor's Practice Nurse, who was happy to do my blood pressure for nothing.

I actually saw my GP yesterday with my son and she said I was looking great and to keep it up! I hope this changes her mind about signing forms for other people who might approach her.

As for the financial sacrifice you are making, this could help to motivate you to stick to the programme. You may find, as I did, that you save money in other ways e.g. not eating meals out, no buying alcohol, not having to buy bigger clothes, not buying 'binge' foods.

I looked into Cambridge too, but realised that for me the counselling was probably the key to my long-term success, so I bit the bullet and have continued with LL . I passed my 100 day milestone last week and will continue for another two/three months before going onto Management.

I wish you luck Pixie, and don't forget that there's alot of wisdom, experience, and downright fun to be had right here at Minimins!

Fuzzys Angel said:

Next week we are also paying for 2 weeks LL packs as there will be no group until the 30th and thats onlya pop in group. I was lucky my doctor didn't charge for my medical but the problem is LL head office has lost it now i have to get another one. My doctor is now away until the new year so if i see another one he will charge. as i work in a hopsital i'm going to get on of the nurses to sign my form then use the ward stamp. If that's not good enough then tough really it's not my fault they lost it?!...

Pixie you do what you feel is right for you, whether you stay with LL or change, a big well done with the party you have the right to feel proud!

Good Luck hun
xxx

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Surely if LL head office have lost the medical it is their responsibility to pay for you to have another one?

I was lucky and saw a locum who just signed it and offered me diet pills (which I declined). My LLC did tell me they have their own private doc we could have used for £25 if we wanted to