Lisa_P
09-09-2005, 03:00 PM
The only diet that ever worked for me was Atkins (and I've tried dozens). I think it was because the thing is basically an elimination diet like the doctors use to pinpoint food allergies (you add back food groups a week at a time and check your body's reaction [i.e. are you still losing, standing still, or gaining?]). Eventually you eat normally, but with as little refined carbs as possible. For me, I just can't do it more than a few months at a time. Sure, I lose a good amount of weight, my energy is up, my blood work looks great -- but then a holiday comes up, a chocolate binge, something!
So here I am, the heaviest I have ever been in my life, fighting allergies and asthma that never existed while I was dieting, and really, REALLY, dreading the mere thought of a diet, let alone something as difficult as Atkins. I find myself unable to do any serious exercise because of MS fatigue. My new husband will NOT change his eating habits (he eats once a day-- at night because eating makes him sleepy -- and he really pigs out on dessert or cookies before bed). So I not only have to contend with all these temptations in the house, I have to cook and prepare them!
How do I do this?? I have to lose weight and get my health back!
So here I am, the heaviest I have ever been in my life, fighting allergies and asthma that never existed while I was dieting, and really, REALLY, dreading the mere thought of a diet, let alone something as difficult as Atkins. I find myself unable to do any serious exercise because of MS fatigue. My new husband will NOT change his eating habits (he eats once a day-- at night because eating makes him sleepy -- and he really pigs out on dessert or cookies before bed). So I not only have to contend with all these temptations in the house, I have to cook and prepare them!
How do I do this?? I have to lose weight and get my health back!
Sponsor
KittyLove
09-09-2005, 08:47 PM
Hi Lisa,
First of all, forget the word "diet" because it's self defeating... eating healthy foods, not eating out of boredom and stress (I know it's difficult, but realizing it is the first step, I catch myself doing it to and have to ask myself "Am I really hungry?"), and changing your eating habits is , I believe, how to get away from this never ending plight of weight loss and weight gain. Denying yourself of what you crave is a surefire way to an all out eating fest.
I'm Italian, and I was brought up on eating, eating, eating. Food was EVERYTHING. I had relatives who found it insulting if you didn't at least TRY something. Over the years, I have found my voice, and just eat what I want, when I want...regardless. I know my relatives mean well and that's their hospitality, but if I didn't draw the line, I'd be huge!
In March, I found out I was allergic to Yeast, so I stopped eating breads, vinegars, and alcohol...I lost about 20 pounds. I have been maintaining my weight without effort. I now believe I was consuming WAY too much bread and wine...I remember at the time thinking they were both low in fat and that they couldn't possibly the reason I was overweight. My belief has changed since losing weight.
I have come to realize that overweight people have an obsession with food. I work with about 30 women, and for the ones struggling with their weight, I swear food is basicially all they talk about. I think if you obsess about food all the time naturally you want to eat. I believe you need to start LISTENING to your body and only eat when you are truly hungry and stop when you are satisfied. This takes effort and awareness. We truly are a society of fad diets gone awry. If you observe a thin person's eating habits, you can learn a lot. They eat WHAT they want and WHEN they want, and stop when they are satisfied, and on top of it, they don't sit around and feel guilty about what they ate. They ate food for fuel, and that's the end of it. I've stopped feeling envious of thin people, have taken note, and have learned a thing or two...this takes away the mystery. For one thing, they're not obsessed with food (when, where, my diet!, and losing control) and certainly don't feel guilty about eating food...they enjoy it! As it should be.
Anyways, I have slowly been training myself to be less consumed with food and "dieting", and just eating nutritious, healthy food. I do have chocolate once in a while, like a few kisses or a bite of dessert...I truly never did enjoy sweet food. I was always a bread and cheese kinda gal. I feel better not being a slave to some diet or hating myself for eating "bad" foods once in awhile. I know many women on "diets" and they seem to be getting bigger by the minute. Once in a while they do lose weight, on some fad diet, but they gain the weight back plus some. In my mind, they need to make real, permanant changes and stop these quick-fix diets. These diets are a joke, and we all know it, but we still resort to them.
I've rambled on, but I have one clear message: change your eating habits, learn about nutrition, stop obsessing about food, and eat only when you are TRULY hungry...whatever the reasons you are eating for (stress, anxiety, loneliness) become more aware of them, and stop putting off dealing with them (either conseling or medication) because overeating is just compounding your problems. I believe people use food as medication, a way of dealing with their REAL problems. They can diet all they want but they'll never getting to the REAL root of their problem. Some might find this debatable, but I feel I have enough experience with overweight women, myself included, to justify this fact. I've realized food and dieting never helps ANY problem and it's a way to mask what's really going on.
First of all, forget the word "diet" because it's self defeating... eating healthy foods, not eating out of boredom and stress (I know it's difficult, but realizing it is the first step, I catch myself doing it to and have to ask myself "Am I really hungry?"), and changing your eating habits is , I believe, how to get away from this never ending plight of weight loss and weight gain. Denying yourself of what you crave is a surefire way to an all out eating fest.
I'm Italian, and I was brought up on eating, eating, eating. Food was EVERYTHING. I had relatives who found it insulting if you didn't at least TRY something. Over the years, I have found my voice, and just eat what I want, when I want...regardless. I know my relatives mean well and that's their hospitality, but if I didn't draw the line, I'd be huge!
In March, I found out I was allergic to Yeast, so I stopped eating breads, vinegars, and alcohol...I lost about 20 pounds. I have been maintaining my weight without effort. I now believe I was consuming WAY too much bread and wine...I remember at the time thinking they were both low in fat and that they couldn't possibly the reason I was overweight. My belief has changed since losing weight.
I have come to realize that overweight people have an obsession with food. I work with about 30 women, and for the ones struggling with their weight, I swear food is basicially all they talk about. I think if you obsess about food all the time naturally you want to eat. I believe you need to start LISTENING to your body and only eat when you are truly hungry and stop when you are satisfied. This takes effort and awareness. We truly are a society of fad diets gone awry. If you observe a thin person's eating habits, you can learn a lot. They eat WHAT they want and WHEN they want, and stop when they are satisfied, and on top of it, they don't sit around and feel guilty about what they ate. They ate food for fuel, and that's the end of it. I've stopped feeling envious of thin people, have taken note, and have learned a thing or two...this takes away the mystery. For one thing, they're not obsessed with food (when, where, my diet!, and losing control) and certainly don't feel guilty about eating food...they enjoy it! As it should be.
Anyways, I have slowly been training myself to be less consumed with food and "dieting", and just eating nutritious, healthy food. I do have chocolate once in a while, like a few kisses or a bite of dessert...I truly never did enjoy sweet food. I was always a bread and cheese kinda gal. I feel better not being a slave to some diet or hating myself for eating "bad" foods once in awhile. I know many women on "diets" and they seem to be getting bigger by the minute. Once in a while they do lose weight, on some fad diet, but they gain the weight back plus some. In my mind, they need to make real, permanant changes and stop these quick-fix diets. These diets are a joke, and we all know it, but we still resort to them.
I've rambled on, but I have one clear message: change your eating habits, learn about nutrition, stop obsessing about food, and eat only when you are TRULY hungry...whatever the reasons you are eating for (stress, anxiety, loneliness) become more aware of them, and stop putting off dealing with them (either conseling or medication) because overeating is just compounding your problems. I believe people use food as medication, a way of dealing with their REAL problems. They can diet all they want but they'll never getting to the REAL root of their problem. Some might find this debatable, but I feel I have enough experience with overweight women, myself included, to justify this fact. I've realized food and dieting never helps ANY problem and it's a way to mask what's really going on.
smc612
09-10-2005, 08:45 AM
good morning girls----i have a similar story. am italian loved bread like i loved my right arm. was still a size 2-4 at 45 years old. hurt my back and took a lot of steroids. ended up at a size 18 to my dismay and extreme discomfort.tried everything. went on atkins, lost 25 # to gain it all back i swear the day i ate my first piece of bread. found out i had multiple food allergies(yeast being one of my worse) stopped eating bread and within 2 weeks had lost 10# effortlessly. continued losing until i had lost 40#. since then i have been diagnosed with diabetes. i am not medicated it is diet controlled. nutitionist told me to eat 2 whole grains, 2 fruits and the rest of my diet in protein and vegetables. went through menopause at the same time and have been able to maintain a non-diabetic glucose level and not gain anything back in going through meno. i do treat myself once in awhile to a bowl of ice-cream,piece of cheescake,or a couple of cookies. i found when i changed my way of thinking about food and made sure i ate enough good foods everyday i was no longer constantly hungry as i was for years. i think this is a healthy way of eating for everyone, not just diabetics. good luck to all
angela :wave:
angela :wave:
thomas3000
09-14-2005, 12:59 PM
Hey Kittylove,
Are you still feeling great? I hope so. Any setbacks at all? Let me know..
Are you still feeling great? I hope so. Any setbacks at all? Let me know..
abca
09-15-2005, 12:44 AM
don't try and lose more than 2 pounds a week. If you lose anymore than that it will probably be water weight or lean muscle mass. Basically if you want to lose 20 pounds first of all just make simple lifestlye changes try some of these tips
1. Replace your soda with water (water is an appetite supressant drink also when you crave sweets.
2. stay away or limmit your sugar intake
3. try to reduce or eliminate your intake of butter. this can be very effective and you could start losing a couple punds a week just by doing this.
4.I would reccomend walking everyday for at least 20 minutes, very good exercise, low impact and has incredible weight loss if you increase your rate everyday
5.Stay away from those juices, unless their made directly from you with a juice machine, it almost always has added sugars and unwanted ingredients that really make you fat (high fructose corn syrup)
6. try some negative calorie foods like carrots, grapes and celery between meals or when you get hungry, or some fat burning foods like oatmeal and potatoes (no butter) and ideally eat 5-6 meals a day.
7.You should eat a big breakfast, 80 percent of people overweight eat a small breakfast or non at all, the most important meal of the day never skip it!
8.Always make your supper the lightest meal of the day.
9. Try to reduce or eliminate eating after 6, do this the best you can, but it has amazing benifets if you do.
10. ideally try to get to bed before 10 and up arounds 7, many diseases and obesity have been linked to poor sleaping habbits. because your healing hormones are put out between 10 and 2, So make sure you get good sleep at night
11. If none of these work try taking a metabolic test and that should tell you around what foods to eat and what to avoid.
This Is what I would reccomend.
_________________
1. Replace your soda with water (water is an appetite supressant drink also when you crave sweets.
2. stay away or limmit your sugar intake
3. try to reduce or eliminate your intake of butter. this can be very effective and you could start losing a couple punds a week just by doing this.
4.I would reccomend walking everyday for at least 20 minutes, very good exercise, low impact and has incredible weight loss if you increase your rate everyday
5.Stay away from those juices, unless their made directly from you with a juice machine, it almost always has added sugars and unwanted ingredients that really make you fat (high fructose corn syrup)
6. try some negative calorie foods like carrots, grapes and celery between meals or when you get hungry, or some fat burning foods like oatmeal and potatoes (no butter) and ideally eat 5-6 meals a day.
7.You should eat a big breakfast, 80 percent of people overweight eat a small breakfast or non at all, the most important meal of the day never skip it!
8.Always make your supper the lightest meal of the day.
9. Try to reduce or eliminate eating after 6, do this the best you can, but it has amazing benifets if you do.
10. ideally try to get to bed before 10 and up arounds 7, many diseases and obesity have been linked to poor sleaping habbits. because your healing hormones are put out between 10 and 2, So make sure you get good sleep at night
11. If none of these work try taking a metabolic test and that should tell you around what foods to eat and what to avoid.
This Is what I would reccomend.
_________________