# Help me find a good diet!



## texasgirl (Apr 18, 2005)

I have been on a low calorie diet for 7 weeks and I can't lose all of the weight that i need to lose. I'll lose then gain. I'm right at where I started again. Does anyone know a good diet that isn't going to make me starve? I walk a mile a day also. Well, except for Thursday, that's my free day


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## Raine (Apr 18, 2005)

Weight watchers works for us.


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## jkath (Apr 18, 2005)

*It's good you've begun walking, but if you start doing proper ab crunches every day, you'll notice your clothes will fit you better as well.*
*If you eat more small meals during the day (say 4-5) as opposed to 2 large meals, you'll never feel starved, and your body will be much healthier.*
*Also, remember to always have your veggies nearby for a quick snack!*


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## Haggis (Apr 18, 2005)

I went on a diet that was developed by the CSIRO here in Australia (a government research body), it was primarily to help me to better my actual diet, but I also lost 5kg with it (that was all I had to lose). I found it particularly easy to follow, especially because the protein after lunch and dinner helps you feel full for quite a while.

It is a high protein, moderate carbohydrate diet and is specifically targeted towards women. Anyhow, take a look at it: http://www.csiro.au/proprietaryDocuments/MLA_diet.pdf

More information about that diet such as meal plans etc can be found at:
http://www.csiro.au/index.asp?id=Human+Nutrition&type=division


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## Zereh (Apr 20, 2005)

I'd say make huge changes in the way you move your body and smaller changes in the way you eat to get started. Changing what you eat is never enough, it takes an even more serious commitment to exercise faithfully, imo.

Another thing might be to not make many recipes from DC! haha I know, I know, I love this place! But the vast majority of what is posted isn't very practical for someone who's trying very hard to loose a layer or two of fluff. 

Make little food changes to start out, like only eating whole-grain bread / bagels and ditch the butter / cream cheese, if you have to have something on your toasted stuff, put a tiny dash of natural peanut butter (no added trans fats, etc.) on them. Substitute brown rice for white. Have the meat on your plate be a "side" and let the vegetables / grains be the main attraction. Use spices and salsas to kick up the flavor in food. A high quality EVOO can be substituted for butter in almost any dish. 

When you're hungy, eat. But make sure what you put into your mouth has nutritional value!! That means ignoring (or in my case, not even buying) junk food. 

When I feel the need to feed, that's just what I do. Only I have learned to fill myself up on a half a head of broccoli or cauliflower or a huge salad. Or oatmeal with soy and a dash of maple syrup. Yogurt with granola. A smoothie with frozen bananas as the base (add whichever berries you like, a teaspoon of honey, some soy milk and a dash of ground flax seed). I make sure to have something that feeds my body with energy.

There are no cakes and cookies in my house either. So when I think I absolutely must have something like that, I go purchase one of whatever it is I'm craving. I eat it and I'm done with it. Then I'm good for another few weeks.

Don't eat for at least three hours before you go to bed. Your body needs at least that long to digest the last food you ate. Metabolism can kick into high gear and work most effectivly as you sleep only when your body is not concentrating on digesting food.

After I made changes to how much I moved, I either walk or do pilates every day and often times both, the eating stuff just kind of fell into place. It was like my body started craving things that were good for me. So I learned to listen to it. =) 

G'luck!

Z

Oh ~ and just wanted to say that just because you have a bad day or two, don't give up! It's not about how perfectly you eat in a small slice of time, but it's how you eat over a period of time. 

It's silly, crazy to weigh yourself everyday and expect to see results. I say toss the scale out the window. Once a month is plenty!!! How your clothes fit, how you "feel" inside of your body, the new lightness in your step will all be much more accurate indicators of the good changes you make.


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## texasgirl (Apr 21, 2005)

Thanks for the boost Zereh!


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## kyles (May 16, 2005)

What Zereh is suggesting is exactly what I did, I concentrated on making small changes to my food patterns every week, so now, four months on, my eating is completely different, and it was easier for hubby to move with the program! Too many changes at once and he would have rebelled.

My exercise has changed enormously. I used to walk an hour or more each day, which is fine for maintenance but isn't going to help with weight loss to a large degree. I now swim, do cardio at the gym, and have just started a weights programme.

I've lost 40 pounds now since the beginning of January. I am a third of the way to goal!!!!


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## texasgirl (May 16, 2005)

That's great, kyles.
I don't have the time or the money to do most you most of the excersising that you suggest. Once it gets warmer here, I can swim while we're fishing though.


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## SizzlininIN (May 16, 2005)

Just a tidbit I found.  Don't know if this pertains to you or not but it may to others.   

I was a total addict to pop...........I drank a minimum of 2 cans a day.  When I eliminated this finally I noticed pounds shedding and my tummy became smaller.  Just thought I'd pass that along.  Oh by the way I replaced that pop with water which I always balked at.  Surprisingly I've grown to like water now.


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## luvs (May 16, 2005)

gulp, blushing, sizz, lol. i drink 64 ounces of ginger ale and juice a day. more juice than pop. but you need fluids!


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## Otter (May 16, 2005)

Gradually reduce portion size. I used to eat a double hamburger with two slices of cheese. First I cut back to one slice of cheese. Now I'm at one burger with one slice of cheese. I've cut portion size on vitrually everything, but eat whatever I want regardless of fat, carbs, calories. I lost 50 pounds, am at my recommended weight, and have kept it there for 2.5 years.


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## texasgirl (May 16, 2005)

I have tried all the cutting down, cutting out, fad diets, pills, etc....
I lost 60 lbs to get down to 120 by drinking lots of water and watching what I ate and walking 1-3 miles on my treadmill and then i gained back 40 after hurting my leg and not being able to get on the treadmill. I have done the exact same and I will lose 2 lbs and then gain it back. I don't know if I just shocked my system the first time and this time I'm not, or what. I'm at a complete loss. I'm not having any health problems and I'm not considered obese (I'm 5'3"- 157lbs.) BUT, I am not happy with the weight. I know I'll never be 102lbs. again, I just want to be comfortable with what I look like. Of course, my husband (not in the least over weight) doesn't understand. He's says I'm beautiful to him no matter what I look like. I can't make him understand that I can't feel that way about myself until I lose the 40 lbs again. I'm driving him nuts. Does anyone know of a good excersise regimen that isn't going to make me fell like I'm being bent into a pretzel and won't hurt the back?


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## Andy M. (May 16, 2005)

I know how discouraging it can be.  I fight an on-going battle with my weight as well.  My situation is similar to yours.

Two years ago, I weighed 250 pounds and decided to get back to "fighting" weight.  I was tired of huffing and puffing at the least exercise and having to buy new clothes.  

I chose a goal of what I weighed at the turn of the millenium - 210 pounds.  I decided to go on a reduced calorie/reduced portion diet instead of any of the "fad" diets that exclude an entire category of foods like the Atkins, Scarsdale, South Beach, etc.

I decided to just cut calories as it's the calories that make pounds.  That way I would have a wider variety of foods to choose from.  I set a daily caloric goal and kept meticulous records of everything I ate.  Water was my only beverage during the day.  No soft drinks, iced tea, fruit juice, etc.  If you replace three cans of soda a day with water, that's 43 pounds a year!

For me, it worked to limit myself to 3 meals a day and nothing in between.  Half my daily calories went for breakfast and lunch and the other half went for dinner.

It took me six months to lose 43 pounds.  A year and a half later (right now) I had gained back 20 pounds.  SO and I went on the same diet 6 weeks ago and I've lost 9 pounds.  I am finding it harder this time around to lose the weight.  I know if I stick to it, I'll get where I want to be.

For exercise, I walked for 30 minutes 4-5 times a week.  If you walk briskly for 30 minutes a day, you'll burn off a pound every 10 days just from the walking!

My point in all this rambling is to tell you not to give up.  It's demoralizing sometimes but if you stick with it, you can lose the weight.  

Don't give up.  Remember, you put calories into your body and your body burns calories.  Make the first number smaller and the second number bigger through a combination of diet and exercise and you WILL get where you want to be.


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## amber (May 16, 2005)

If you want a specific diet, there is one on http://www.oprah.com , called "get with the program", I found it in a search on her website.  The program was developed by Bob Greene, who is also Oprah's trainer I think.  Dr Phil also has a program, it's probably on his website.  I'm more apt to eat several small meals per day, with not much junk food or fast food, but I eat whatever I like.  I don't drink soda either, hardly use sugar at all, or salt.  I've slacked off on exercising which is bad bad bad!  I need to start doing crunches again and maybe some strength training with weights.  I do walk several times a week.


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## Rob Babcock (May 17, 2005)

No offense, Andy, but Atkins is hardly a "fad diet," nor does it exclude entire catagories of food.  Many who are totally ignorant of the program or know only the soundbites they see on talk shows think it's all bacon & eggs and no carbs at all.  But nothing could be further from the truth.  You control your carbs and eat low GI foods, but the only "catagory" of foods you eliminate is junk food.  Any sane diet will require you do that!

I don't really care whether anyone else "does Atkins" or not, but I wish people would at least stop repeating the same baseless rumors over and over about it.


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## Andy M. (May 17, 2005)

Ron:

I consider Atkins a fad diet.  Of course, that's just my opinion.  I'm also not totally ignorant of the plan.  I am guilty of glossing over some details in the interest of making my point.  My point being to describe my thought process in selecting a diet for myself.

You're right, the Atkins plan is one in which you control carbs, not eliminate them entirely.   The "control" starts out stricter and relaxes as the diet progresses.  Also, certain categories of carbs are more "controlled" than others.

BTW, the current issue of Consumer Reports did a long-term test of popular diet plans, comparing Weight Watchers, Slim-Fast, Zone, Ornish, Atkins On-Going Weight Loss and Atkins Induction.  

They rated plans over six months and a year, on nutrition, weight loss and dropout rate.  The listing in the previous paragraph is in the final ratings order.


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## janetGood (May 17, 2005)

You can try this if nothing else works for you, try three meals a day that include a small serving of protein in each. A starch, a Protein and a fruit or veggie with every meal if possibe. The Protein should be about the size of a deck of cards for a average size woman. The protein helps burn the carbs, that is what my friends trainer told her and it works for me when I can stick to it ( I just cannot eat that much protein in the morning). It also helps keep your energy up when you are working out alot, especially if you do any work with weights. 
This would be an unbalanced meal-Pasta with a tiny bit of meat, garlic bread and a salad. The meal is mostly wheat which turns straight to fat in the body. 
Also if you are sticking to a balanced diet, you can have one day where you go off the diet and it is not enough to put the pounds back on. 
The old heart smart diet the american heart assoc put out years ago actually has not worked that good for people, the carbs turn to cholesterol in the body. Alot of people think of meat as the bad guy as far as cholestrol but in our country it comes from processed oils, junk food and starch. Try to get the leaner beef and take the skin of the chicken before you eat it. 
This would be an example of a day 
Breakfast- and egg with a tiny bit of meat mixed in with a half a english muffin and a fruit.
Lunch- Teriaki chicken a cup of rice and a veggie.
Dinner- Hamburger with low fat ground beef and fresh veggies. 
Alot of people can just loose weight by cutting out the dairy and taking a quality calcium supplement, or just taking out the soda. 
keep trying things, you will find something you like and that will work for you.


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## Rob Babcock (May 19, 2005)

You make the easy mistake of confusing the Fad popularity it currently enjoys with being a true fad diet. Atkins has hundreds of studies and decades of clinical evidence behind it. People have used it successfully for over 25 years- that's a helluva fad. Hundreds of thousands of people will still be using Atkins to lower LDL, improve HDL, get of diabetes medication and stay thin decades from now when the fad fans have rushed off to the next craze.

It's certainly not for everyone, but it's worked well for me for years. I'd advise anyone not to listen to the soundbites but actually read the book. It's a lot more than this thread would imply, and it's very important to read the book to understand what Atkins aims to acheive. And it's not just weight loss.


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## Rob Babcock (May 19, 2005)

Andy M. said:
			
		

> BTW, the current issue of Consumer Reports did a long-term test of popular diet plans, comparing Weight Watchers, Slim-Fast, Zone, Ornish, Atkins On-Going Weight Loss and Atkins Induction.
> 
> They rated plans over six months and a year, on nutrition, weight loss and dropout rate. The listing in the previous paragraph is in the final ratings order.



Be wary of this statement, no offense.  This is pretty much the opposite of most studies.  Atkins has been shown to be not only effective, but one of the few "diets" that people tend to stay with long term.

IMOHO, Consumer Distorts is rarely a good source of info on anything.  YMMV, of course.


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## In the Kitchen (May 19, 2005)

*Informative*

Zereh, I hope you won't mind but I copied your comments and sent them to five different people I know need to read your idea.  It certainly helped me.  I am going to make printout for myself to remind myself of the facts you mentioned.  

How are you doing?  It certainly does make difference when you are eating something that is 'good' for your body.  

Could you tell me why people are always eating bagels when they are trying to watch their weight?  I see them mentioned everywhere.  

Also I have been starting to eat oatmeal more often.  We even have it for dinner.  My father who never worried about weight never was overweight except when he was young man.  He constantly at oatmeal for breakfast everyday.  I feel if you are concerned about your health you will accept ways of discipline in order to maintain good health.  I can't ever remember where he wasn't eating oatmeal.  It wasn't the instant either.  Something called steel cut.  He did have slice of dark break with it too.  Why does it take so long for someone to realize their parents were wise?  This always bothers me.  

Anyway thanks for the comments.  This area is of great concern to me when it comes to eating.  Always trying to treat my body with respect and proper care.  As I have mentioned before it isn't how your body looks that is important as to how you feel.  Blood pressure is more important  than the weight.  If you are proper weight I  hope your blood pressure will be right.  Amazing gift if person has good health.


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## Zereh (May 19, 2005)

I don't mind at all! I'm certainly no expert but I'm always happy to share what I've learned. As for the bagel thing, I'd imagine that a bagel is the healthy alternative to the donut. =P It is still something that is small, portable and finger food and better for you than that white flour / sugar / fat laden donut.

Here is a great web site: Nutrition Data

If you're really interested in what foods are "best" for you, this site offers several ways to measure just that. You can visualize a food's nutritional value (or lack of it) with an easy to understand graphical pyramid.

It explains why the GL factor of a food is a much more important number to be aware of than GI. Oh oh, speaking of GI / GL, check this site out!

You can input recipes into Nutrition Data's site and have an analysis done on it. It gives amazing details. You can search on single food items and get the same information.

If you enter your height / weight and daily excercise level amounts, it will give you recommendations for the amounts of vitamins, minerals, fat / protiens / carbohydrates that you should consume. 

It gives super weight loss tips, which really isn't about dieting at all but more about making lifestyle changes that we all should work towards. 

None of the information there is ground breaking stuff. But it's great to have so much accurate and up-to-date information available in one spot. 


Z


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## In the Kitchen (May 19, 2005)

*Zereh*

Well, you did it again!  Gave me some valuable information that I will make copy.  You must do lot of research to find all these sites.  I do appreciate it and thank you again.  Any more questions, I'll contact you to see if you agree.  Thank you.


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## Zereh (May 20, 2005)

ItK, The World's Healthiest Foods is also a superb website. Tons of information there as well, with lots of interesting and tastey recipe ideas.


Z


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## In the Kitchen (May 20, 2005)

*Zereh*

I sure thank you.  You can believe I will be checking these out of Memorial Day Weekend.  Everybody has plans so I assume I will have chance to do something I want to do.  I am so grateful you know about these sites and can tell me about them.  I appreciate your sharing of your research.  Thanks again.


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## Charlotte (May 20, 2005)

Zereh, thanks for your post! It's great!

I want to add that if someone is already eating healthily and exercising adequately and seeing no change, it's time to NOT CUT OUT any good foods, but rather to cut quantities ingested by one third at first, then if you don't see results i.e. weight loss, then cut quantities again. 

Don't forget to increase your water intake! and drastically reduce intake of cafeinated beverages, if not eliminate them completely.

Oh and it's not enough to KNOW what to do, it's necessary to DO IT, even when it's hard work.


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