has anyone ever tried either of these diets? i don't want to be on a diet forever, but want a structured plan to kickstart changing my eating habits. if you've tried one or both, could you please let me know if you saw results, complaints, easy to stick with, etc.
thanks!
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I wanted to add that just by doing a NO SNACK change of habit, the extra weight will come off too. Drink water instead of snacking, at least minimum 2 litres a day. This should make a difference.
Stylegirl, I would recommend Weightwatchers. There is no suffering involved and it is easy to adjust to. You can eat ANYTHING, as long as you account for it.
So if you really want that donut or the extra potato, you must excersise to earn it.
I did it the entire summer last year, lost 17ls, it stayed off during winter and now I plan to lose the other 10lbs this summer.
You can do it online if you don't want to do the meetings thing, and it is cheaper too. They also have a no counting points-low carb diet if you prefer. But for me, I go nuts if I am denied any kind of food, so weightwatchers worked for me.
Check out their website: www. weightwatchers.ca
I tried Atkins years ago, and got violently ill, and moody. I stopped when I vomited up green bile!!!
Dustbunnydiva,
Thanks for the info. I'm going to make an appointment.
Pat
I'd guess you were in Calgary by your name... pretty appropriate for the climate.
Anyway, my doctor is Richard Johnson. He has an office at Market Mall and you can find his number in the yellow pages under physicians. I believe right now there is a 3 mo. wait for an initial appt., but it's worth the wait.
FAT FLUSH!!! Ann Louis Gittleman is a nutritionist ( one of the top 10 in the world) and a medical doctor. She has written 25 books.
Her Fat Flush plan is a liver detox for 2 weeks and then phase 2 until you reach goal. While you are on phase 2 you check for food scensitivities. Check out her site.
I think you will find all sorts of info.
dustbunny,
I wonder if you could share the name of the Holistic doctor in Calgary? I"m a Calgaryian as well and am looking for a good doctor. I need to get a check-up as I haven't had one in 3years but was looking for someone I had some confence in.
Thanks, Pat
Never eat more than you can lift. I promise you'll never have problems with weight again!!!!
to everyone for your words of encouragement and tips. i think persistence in my workouts is probably key. i don't have a terrible diet, but could defintely improve. maybe i won't start a formal diet yet (can you believe i've never done one?!)
i'll keep you updated.
jenjen - wow! i can't believe how much weight you lost! i have a couple of friends who weigh less now after their kids. but, that was just fluke/genetics - i'm really glad that you changed your lifestyle!
julvero - right now i go to the gym twice during the week in the mornings - ds goes to the gym's daycare. i LOVE them there and so does he. it's been excellent for him to go. i was complaining about other babysitters :(
decorguy - great news on your update! keep it up!
julvero i did the same thing as you...i'm a SAHM too and well ya know what....it was great to get out and have an adult conversation and not have someone tugging at your pant leg all day long...same thing i went when DH got home from work...i went to Extreme Fitness...he would get home anywhere from 7 to 9 pm...i would go and get home at about 10:30 or 11 pm...i felt great...it took 1 year after having my 2nd son but i got down to less than what i weighed when i was 16...let's just say that i went down about 10-12 sizes...i went from a 10-12 to a 0-1 it may sound drastic but i feel great and much happier with myself...i also changed my eating habits...and i found that i ate and still eat less....i ate/eat only when i was hungry...and i found that as long as i kept myself busy i didn't get hungry...down side i found that i drank and drink more coffee now....and i kept a saying posted on my fridge that helped me
"I eat to live....i don't live to eat"
hope i was some help...oh and i found that as soon as i would say the word ''diet'' i gained weight....lol
I changed my eating habits as well but I was not following any diets. Basically eating whole-wheat pastas and breads, steamed or oven baked foods and lots of veggies. I also would serve (and still do) my food on a small plate.
I happen to start exercising when I got pregnant with my second and only gained 8 kg. After that I did postnatal twice a week and then added weight class. Maybe after 6 months postnatal I started going to the gym. Taking these classes at a community centre helped, since I could go only at a specified day and time, and if I missed the class I definitely felt it.
As for babysitters, I would workout after DH work. Since I am SAHM I spent all day with the kids and it was daddy’s turn to be with kids. That only meant that I did not see him as much. I am not sure how much weight you have to lose, but for me it was quiet a bit, and I had to put myself temporary first.
Keep doing your workouts, change your eating habits and you will see the results soon.
DecorGuy - awesome results, keep up a good sweat.
Julvero
We started working out at the same time.. I just wanted to encourage you to not give up and to continue what you are doing. Diet was everything for me. its only been 3 months for me as well and I lost 15 lbs, 3 inches on my waist and about 8% bodyfat. I only started to visibly see results after 2 months of very agressive training and just recently really noticed clothes fitting differently. I dont want to bore you with what diet worked for me as some people thought I was crazy.. Hang in there with your workouts.. you'll get there
Well a little reading is a dangerous thing and choosing to ignore that adage, I went ahead and just did some anyway.
What I saw was very interesting as I really had not seen/known any direct connection between estrogen and fat cells (other than my doctor warning me that when I started taking estrogen it would make losing weight harder...now I see why that might be). It also explains why men don't usually get cellulite normally and why women's body's change their shape/fat collection as they go through various stages of life, give birth, etc. I didn't see anything yet that explains the various forms of estrogen (didn't even know there was) and what the type that connect with fat cells mean but all in all it was very interesting.
It also seems to indicate that it's very important for people to really check their hormone levels out when they could be approaching perimenopause (anytime after 30 as I understand it) or when having fertility issues.
What I did see that would probably interest a lot of women and that I hadn't seen before were recommendations of the types of foods women should eat if they want to shift that 'after baby fat' being as it is so linked to the changed hormone levels.
Of course some of what I saw (doing a google) was contradictory..here's a study, here's another study that says they other study is wrong, it'll cause this, no it won't ...as to be expected as it's something I find is totally typical when it comes to health. What I didn't see so far was any info on what happens to the estrogen when the fat cells are made smaller (we never actually lose them no matter how much weight we lose, they just change size) and the details of just how hormones are cleared from the bloodstream if/when they are released. I also couldn't find out what signifigance it would have depending on age, weight, and all of that.
It may sound picky, but I've come to learn that things like this can be a little complicated. From what I read it seems the pancrease and liver are involved somehow (processing I assume) as is insulin (which seems to come up with anything body related it seems to me...the great unsung, often ignored hormone) so I would guess how they are functioning also comes into play.
I'm going to have to ask my doctor how all this works. He's pretty good at explaining things (and I'm afraid I can drive him a little nuts when I come in with "I was reading on the Internet..."). What I don't quite see linking is that there would be an over abundance of estrogen if one did lose it from fat cells while losing weight.
As I was seeing it, it would seem there is actually a shortage if it is being stored in the fat cells (causing fertility issues in the obese) so using that logic (and as I said this is only from a little reading which truly is a bad thing) it would seem your body would only be returning to normal blood/estrogen levels (which I suppose could set someone into a spin but shouldn't be as big a deal as having too low a level).
Oh well, that's what I've seen so far and as usual, it has served to raise more questions. I'm glad you mentioned this link as it's not something I was aware of so it will be interesting to find out more about it.
i have been working out for about 2.5 months now. however, it has not been totally consistent. my son and i have been plagued with colds on and off in that time, so some weeks would entail one to zero workouts. i am restarting my workouts at 3 times a week. when i started, i committed to twice a week, but think i need to add one more.
i have been doing different resistance exercises with each workout. my trainer gave me different ones to use. i will probably use her periodically to add to that. i also never rest during the resistance piece. i do abs or alternate muscle groups between sets.
did you alter your diet? how long did it take you to become happy with where you are? i'm trying not to focus on weight either, but as mentioned before, don't really see my results in clothing either, although i "feel" more toned in areas.
yes, if we lived closer, shopping and working out would be great! sharing babysitters would be fab too! babysitters...that is my other complaint this week!
I am a SAHM with two girls age 5 & 3. I have been working out with a trainer for almost 3 years now. The trick is to change your routine every 6 weeks (if you have been working consistently during the six weeks). I have gone through so many different programs that I set up my own and the trainer just checks them. I have a free trainer from my DH work gym. And the gym is free too.
How long have you been working out? I learned not to concentrate on ideal weight, but how I feel and how the clothes fit.
Check out this link:
http://www.bodyforlife.com/exercise/weighttraining.asp
It lists different types of exercises for each muscle group and it might help you put a program together.
Any questions, please ask.
P.S. I am not sure if you remember me. We exchanged few posts about your sofas a while back before the system crashed. Too bad we don't live close otherwise we could workout and go shopping together.
To answer your question...my findings came through years of researching infertility...if you look into this aspect of women's health it puts a very different twist on our bodies & how they work. Here is a very small excerpt taken from just one site...
In women estrogen is made in the ovaries, the follicle around the ovum, the adrenal glands, and the fat cells. With the progression of the aging process, the ovaries stop producing estrogen on a regular basis, and the main source for the production of estrogen becomes the adrenal glands located above the kidneys. Unused testosterone is also transformed into needed estrogen, "and even estrogen stored in fat cells is called to action" as the ovarian production of estrogen diminishes. Estrogen and progesterone are designed to balance each other, to keep each other in check.
I am not as gifted as you in the art of writing so I will not even attempt it...do a search on hormones, increased risk of cancer in obesity, infertility & such, there is wealth of info available for those interested in this aspect Fat Cells & their roles. let me know what you think!;) HTH
i am definitely going to keep up with the exercising! i used a personal trainer at the beginning to establish a routine and refamiliarize myself with resistance training. it was great! it's just so weird that i feel more toned and stronger, but that my clothes don't fit any better and that i don't feel any slimmer.
are you a trainer?
Everyone offered you good tips re diet but I just wanted to encourage you to continue to work out. You will soon see results if you keep doing combo of cardio and weight training as well as drinking lots of water.
If you have any questions regarding exercising post away and I will be glad to help you.
julvero
I can't agree with you more. Sensible for each person is different.
I didn't go to a naturopath, I went to an holistic doctor. The difference is naturopaths and homeopaths are not (usually or required to be) MD's and can do no invasive proceedures, nor order tests or prescriptions. They also aren't usually covered by provincial health insurance.
Anyway a holistic doctor is an MD who concentrates on the whole person/body. They know more about nutrition and other factors (like lifestyle) than what is offered in general medical training. They also are fully versed and qualified in traditional medicine so have a whole different approach to dealing with things but still have everything any other doctor would have. Basically, it's the best of both worlds in one place, true complimentary medicine. You can find them by looking under physicians in the yellow pages and usually they will have holisitic health listed as their specialty.
With mine, I had to pay for the first appointment but all the rest have been covered by health care. He really blew me out of the water with all the things he discovered and told me about. I thought he was nuts at first but put to the test, he's proved himself right everytime and I've ended up having to completely adjust how I've thought about food.
He solved problems in one hour my other doctor had been muddling with using perscriptions etc. and he did it using what I consider to be more common sense. Instead of looking for one problem, he felt there were several all appearing to show as one. As we solved each, everything fell into place so I really began to see something like a domino effect in how our bodies can get screwed up and how everything somehow relates to everything else.
So if you are truly stuck they can be a big help. In my experience, they also tend to be much more up to date as well.
Do get the book I mentioned and you may see you only need to make some minor adjustments to get some major results. If you need more help, then it may be that seeing someone like I saw will save you a lot of time and trouble as they have it down pat, no guessing.
I would never in a million years have gone on Atkins had this new doctor not insisted. He really showed me (with blood tests and a scale) I had been on the wrong track for my body type and metabolism. He also hit other factors like hormones, stress, lifestyle which all had to be addressed if I was going to get where I wanted to be. It was refreshing after listening to my other doctor who only talked calories and fats and got me no where. It really helped me get a handle on things in more ways than one and I highly recommend finding a good holistic doctor to people now.
7 years ago I lost 115 pounds with Weight Watchers. Over the last 7 years, I have gained a little and lost again as soon as I start again on Weight Watchers. This is the only diet my doctors recommended. He said it was safe and that I should not loose more then 2 pounds a week. It has worked for me, I get to eat what I want (in moderation). I have found this new way of life (not diet) to be the best thing that ever happened to me. Also, I have to admit that I do not exercise and never have and still lost the weight. Good luck
LL
Ottawa
you all raise good points.
i don't actually crave carbs. i'm more of a protein/meat lover. but, i find now that i'm a sahm that i eat more carbs because they are so damn convenient (ie. toast vs. eggs for breakfast).
dbd - from reading your list, i don't think insulin is a problem for me, but i think i will check out the book you recommended.
btw - what did the naturopath do for you specifically?
You mentioned that women store hormones in their fat. I haven't heard of that before. Can you explain that to me a bit (which ones etc.)?
This kind of conversation usually gets my exposed nerve going so please bear with me as I feel a need to chime in.
I think you have to ignore all comments relating to gaining after any diet. I don't care what people do or try, if they go off of it, they gain fat back whether its low carb, low calorie, low fat, WW or anything else. You also have to watch when people say so and so did this and that happened, because you never know if so and so even did the program properly. This is especially true of low carb as so many people don't do it right and seems to get a lot of press because of it. The real game is finding a way of eating you can live with and sticking with it. You can't go by what other people do.
Whatever a person decides to do, they must do forever. It has to be a lifetime change to a way of eating and to do it right. When losing it may be more stringent but the truth is it must be something you can stick with for the rest of your life or you will regain fat with interest.
Meanwhile, after years of working on this, after finally finding a holistic doctor who knows what's what and explaining it to me, I've realized it's pretty much a stab in the dark to try and base a decision on what worked for someone else.
The Zone and South Beach are essentially the same premise (low carb or low GI) with some differences in the detail (SB being more low fat). They are also similar to The GI Diet, Somers, Atkins, Carb Addict, and numbers of other programs.
From all that I have learned, you need to find out which one will work for your body and your lifestyle and then stick with it. Some say you can have wine, some not, some require a lot of prep, some not,. You really have to decide what is the 'make or break' for your lifestyle and then try it. If it doesn't work then you may have to reconsider what your 'make or break' is worth.
Also much depends on your own body. That is generally what I see now as the first criteria. After years of doing low fat, low calorie, this diet, that diet, my body hit insulin resistance. Had I only known what I know now, I could have stopped all the folly that has my metabolism so screwed up now. I thank dieticians for that, as well meaning as they may be, they made me worse because they didn't address my particular body.
Meanwhile, it took a doctor who totally understood foods/bodies to set me straight. I now know that for my body, sugars and high GI foods are out, completely, no room to maneuver at all even though those are the things I love the most. For many people they don't have that problem and he recommends something different but he goes with each person's body.
One important component can be your hormones. If you are past 30, it's worth getting them checked if you are jammed as they can really throw any weight issues off and can change every 6 months or more. That's why you listening to what works for me or visa versa can be counter productive. There are other elements that could be at work for you. Stress, lack of sleep, and hormones are just some of them and then you have your own metabolism and lifestyle on top.
If you really want to understand how your body works, I really recommend heading to library and getting The Schwarzbein Principal by Dr. Diana Schwarzbein. It's a great book, easy to read, and explains insulin, food, high GI, good/bad fats and why the N. American food guides are out to lunch. She explains how to eat in balance whether trying to get insulin in line (for diabetes for instance) to weight loss, to general living. She pushes whole, natural foods, no gimmicks. She also has some other books, but reading that one first is a good place to start.
Reading her book is also helpful in that once you understand how foods/bodies work you can read all the other books and decide what you believe. You will be better able to see why one program will work better for you than others.
As for what I believe... I love Atkins. It works for me so I get what that one is all about. I now like any program that sticks with whole natural foods (all those low carb products out there are not used by true low carbers). South Beach being low fat puts up warning flags all over for me. I no longer believe in low fat at all as our bodies need fat to function. If you don't eat enough fat, your body will produce it, your skin will suffer, and organs just don't work right.
The Zone works for a lot of people who like dealing with percents rather than counting carbs. Another program that is excellent if you can stand some carbs and don't like counting anything, is Suzanne Somers. Her program is based on food combining and offers some great recipes that work on most low carb programs. The only issue with hers is the learning curve on combining but after that, no counting, no weighing, no percentages, no calculating of any kind. The GI Diet is also supposed to be a good one but I haven't read it so can only go by what I've heard.
So, if you are having trouble it helps to start understanding your own body. Some things that may or may not apply to you that may help you understand your body (if any of these sound like you low carb/GI is the way to go):
- weight tends to gather around your waist first..apple shape, beer belly, spare tire
- you crave specific foods such as pasta, breads, super sweet fruits, sweets
- your energy falls after eating certain things
- you can't lose fat even if you eat next to nothing and exercise your face off
- you get moody if not eating, or eating certain things
- you may have high cholesterol, arthitis, asthma, fibromyalgia.
Those are all signs of insulin at work. If that is the case, exercise can only go so far and you have to address the type and amounts of foods you eat. It can take some trial and error if you don't have medical help, but you find out what works by trial and error.
If you think insulin is a problem and you want a hit of weight loss and to lose a carb addiction, you can start on Atkins and do induction then either continue on Atkins (use Atkins for Life if you have less than 20 lbs to lose) or go to another program. I know lots of people who go that route and it works great for them. Some choose the Zone, some choose another program. They look at what is required (counting, weighing, combining, choices,etc. when it comes to foods) and then try what appeals for a while. If it works, they have found their program, if not, they try another. What works for you, may not work for me, etc. and so on. It can take a while, but when shooting for something you can live with for life, it's worth the time and effort and best of all doesn't screw up a metabolism like 'dieting' does.
If you do think you are eating right and still not loseing you need to look at a couple of things. The first is whether you realistically have anything to lose (some of us see fat when it isn't there). If you know for sure you still need to lose then you look at how much you are eating and exercising. If you don't eat enough your body will hang on to the extra as it believes it is in starvation. There is nothing you can do about that other than eat more (sounds strange but it's true). The other thing is drinking water. If you drink enough water, your body will release all it is storing. That can be 5 to 10 lbs (the water loss experienced when people suddenly start a program and up their water drinking). It lasts as long as the water intake is up. Sometimes I think half the poundage lost is due to running for washrooms but that's another topic I guess.
When it comes to exercise, sometimes you need to change your routine or up your routine and getting someone who knows about that to give you direction can help a lot.
I wish you luck. Do get the Schwarzbein book to read before you do anything as it will really help you understand all that is out there and give you a good basis to make decisions.
but couldn't stick with it through the winter, esp. when I wanted to spend a day outside skiing, skating, etc... I was cold all the time, and could feel my blood sugar dropping...
I am now just remaking my eating habits with a few incremental changes week by week - much slower progress, but I feel like I can live with it. Weight Watchers is also based on the idea that this is for life...
Style, skip the trendy diets. If you just want to lose and keep it off try weight watchers. It doesn't work for everyone but it worked for me (60 lbs) and I have kept it off for 3 years.
for wanting to do this is b/c i have been working out for 2 months and have seen very minor results. i FEEL much better, stronger, more toned, but i LOOK about the frickin' same! my clothes are still fitting about the same too. i think the missing piece is diet. i thought that both south beach and zone were considered lifestyle changes. south beach has a 2 or 3 week kick start purge and then it's about healthy decisions afterward. i think i need something structured so that i just eat what it says i have to.
i'm reluctant to try atkins b/c of the high fat content and have also seen ppl swing back to their normal weight or more when they stopped.
ahhhhh - age and pregnancy are soooo not kind to the body - mine anyway. :(
I was never one to follow diets, until I had the baby..then I tried Atkins. I now know why diets have such a bad rep. You really are better off to get yourself into a nutrionist/dietician who can help you shape a plan for you. Some of these diets do help you lose the weight quickly, but at the cost of your health..women store hormones in their fat & when the weight loss is too quick you bombard your system with too many hormones running rampant too quickly. It can really cause havoc on your health overall. I've had friends collapse, and I myself am just getting back on my feet again. Eat sensibly, cut back portions but don't deny yourself anything you will be successful for the long run & not suffer along the way. Btw, as soon as I went off the "diet" I gained all my weight back & then some in a very short period of time. and as Red mentioned the lower carbs made for one MOODY girl...JMO
please explain the South Beach thing to me...
I used to be a food combiner who stayed away from most things white or anything that was blatantly CARB. Two years later.... it was just a recipe for Cranky lifestyle..
I kick started with Atkins and lost 20-25 quite quickly. Then did a modified Atkins adding more fruit/yogurts. I am off it now and just eat sensibly and exercise more and I am still losing. Stay away from the white foods as much as possible.