New Year, New Diet...

[Kathryn41 3,205]

They don't call it pound cake for nothing - even with strawberries!

I need to loose weight too - clothes are getting tight and uncomfortable and I just don't like the way I feel. Part of the problem is lack of exercise, not so much overeating - plus slowing down metabolism (drat menopause!). If I can get up the motivation i might go and see about joining LA Fitness (see why I have problems?!)

[Krikit 1,164]

They don't call it pound cake for nothing - even with strawberries!

Okay, I'm over it. Anyway for a slice?

[JillA 2]

They don't call it pound cake for nothing - even with strawberries!

I need to loose weight too - clothes are getting tight and uncomfortable and I just don't like the way I feel. Part of the problem is lack of exercise, not so much overeating - plus slowing down metabolism (drat menopause!). If I can get up the motivation i might go and see about joining LA Fitness (see why I have problems?!)

Kathryn I just joined LA fitness and love it! I'm sort of lazy when it comes to the gym, meaning I don't enjoy the cardio machines and just running on a treadmill for 1/2 hour. I get so BORED. But LAF offers classes included in the membership fees, such as aqua aerobics, pilates, yoga, cycling, etc. This motivates me more because there is a designated time I have to go and there is a teacher telling me what to do! I'm sure the LAF in your area has classes as well.

[Reba 2]

May I suggest some reading material for everyone trying to lose weight and get healthy? Go check out a book called Good Calories, Bad Calories

its an eye opener for sure.

[Reeena 0]

I joined weight watchers in Oct and in 10 weeks I lost 18 lbs... 8 lbs in the first 2 weeks and then it has slowed down, I am on "maintenance" now, so just keeping it where it is and have been on that for almost 4 weeks now. It has worked for me and the hubby (he is just following the book with me) and when we dont feel like cooking we eat lean quisine or something similar with low point values...

Also I must add that prior to this I had failed my physical fitness test at work (running, situps, push-ups and weight/waist measurement) so they made me go the gym M-F for an hour every day and I only lost 4 lbs over the course of 42 days that I had to be on that program. I don't really go to the gym nowadays unless work makes me, but even then I would never call it a work-out, LOL.

WW has worked for me and was sooo simple... I was the big skeptic...I still want to loose more, but just have not been "writing" my stuff down and tracking my points... so I have stayed the same for a while now...

Good luck in what ever you choose.

Rena

[SapphireDreams 71]

^^ That's awesome Reena! I think Weight Watchers definitely works, it just takes a bit of work to do. I am going to try it in a couple months if I'm not seeing any improvements from what I'm doing now.

I'm actually following my own variation of the Scarsdale diet. I like it because while it can be a bit extreme, it definitely works and isn't really that hard to follow.

Each morning I eat:

1/2 grapefruit

1 Activia Yogurt

1 slice of toast

For lunch I pre-make salads with various healthy/filling things. I just buy the bagged lettuce because I'm lazy and then get 4-5 ziploc containers on the counter. I split the lettuce up into the containers, then I add in cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, 4-5 slices of extra lean turkey breast and then I buy snack size ziploc bags and fill them with low fat dressing and then seal them up and stick it in the tupperware. Sometimes I also add in boiled eggs, chick peas, canned corn etc.

Or, for lunch I have a giant fruit salad with whatever fruit I can find and a cup of cottage cheese. Doesn't sound like a lot, but its amazing how filling it is.

Took me about 40 minutes to prepare all my salads and fruit salads tonight, so I thought that was pretty decent. I'll save a lot of money too because it only cost me around $30 to make at least 5-6 meals. Buying lunch at work is like $10.

For snacks I buy the pre-made Jello (only 5 cals per container) and i cut up carrot sticks. Before the gym, I eat a CLIF bar. They have a lot of protein and actually give me energy and then supress my appetite so I don't eat a lot at dinner.

For dinner, I usually just either sautee some veggies and chicken or some sort of protein, have whole wheat pasta with homemade sauce or salad again.

I also plan to drink only water. I do drink skinny vanilla lattes and tea on occasion too, but those are my 'treats' when I've been good.

For me its really about portion control and over eating. I tend to eat a lot and snack a lot, so when I portion everything off and put everything in a little baggie or tupperware, I stick to it.

As well, I am going to the gym 3-5 times a week. I commute 1.25 hours each way to and from work, so I hate that I spend most of my evenings at the gym, but I know that its the only way that I will see any difference.

My goal is to lose 10 pounds at first. If I do that, I plan to see if I can lose 10 more. I want to drop 2 sizes.

I just started my regime so we'll see how it goes.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Thanks Jill,

I have the added challenge of being a type 1 diabetic so I am constantly counting carb grams and fat grams and protein grams already, balancing insulin and blood sugars and food intake. The exercise will just be another factor in the equation. I like the idea of classes like pilates or yoga or cycling. When I was in my 20s and 30s I belonged to a gym and had my regular cardio muscular training sessions so was there 5 times a week (3 for weight training and 2 for cardio). I am not that dedicated anymore, hehehehe!

[shiri 0]

lol... so many different diets!

Trailmix- To answer your question, yes a teacher at the high school I went to did Jenny Craig. She lost the weight and looked awesome, but them extra pounds sorta made their way back on when she stopped doing it.

I've done weight watchers and that was one of the slowest diets I have done. My friend lost all the weight she wanted on it and it is good for some people.

I have some health issues and so when I asked my doctor if she could prescribe me a drug to help me lose weight or suggest one, she said they aren't good. Just like "DIETS", pills may help you lose weight, but when you stop them you end up gaining back more than you put on. She suggested to me to learn good carbs from bad carbs and said that maybe I should check out the "SOUTH BEACH DIET". Well, I did Atkins after my third child and lost a fair amount and knew that South beach was similar. I am someone who likes to understand the whys to everything. So for me the key to loosing weight is actually understanding what different types of food do to your body.

I did some of my own research a year ago to find out what is good for losing weight if you are hypothyroid. (Your thyroid is what regulates your metabolism.) Through my research, I learned some really interesting things and then I did finally buckle down and read the South Beach Diet's book.

I lost 46 pounds from August until the end of October. I need to pay more attention to what I am eating again cuz I would like to lose a little more before I see my hubby for the interview. (I plan on either driving out to Montreal with my four kids or flying there again with my baby.) Anyways... I thought I would share a few keys that are helpful to me as I am losing weight:

Eat more complex carbs than simple ones. Try to ingest at least 25 g of fiber a day. Take Omega 3 supplements. When you eat try to make sure what you are eating is below 50 on the glycemic index.

I wish you all good luck on your weight loss journeys. So, are we planning to become our own support group or what is the plan?

Edited January 6, 2009 by shiri

[Sprailenes 47]

Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, Weightwatchers... they are all for people who really don't have the willpower to stick to their own regimen. So its easy for these people to fall off of the bandwagon several times, myself included. I find the best thing that works you is to put your own plan together and work at it. But don't feel guilty for eating or doing the things you love either. Its all about balance I think.

I did weightwatchers, it worked, but I didn't.

[trailmix 77]

I joined weight watchers in Oct and in 10 weeks I lost 18 lbs... 8 lbs in the first 2 weeks and then it has slowed down, I am on "maintenance" now, so just keeping it where it is and have been on that for almost 4 weeks now. It has worked for me and the hubby (he is just following the book with me) and when we dont feel like cooking we eat lean quisine or something similar with low point values...

Also I must add that prior to this I had failed my physical fitness test at work (running, situps, push-ups and weight/waist measurement) so they made me go the gym M-F for an hour every day and I only lost 4 lbs over the course of 42 days that I had to be on that program. I don't really go to the gym nowadays unless work makes me, but even then I would never call it a work-out, LOL.

WW has worked for me and was sooo simple... I was the big skeptic...I still want to loose more, but just have not been "writing" my stuff down and tracking my points... so I have stayed the same for a while now...

Good luck in what ever you choose.

Rena

Whoaaaaaa!!

You have a physical fitness test at work and work makes you go to the gym??

Where do you work!

Edited January 6, 2009 by trailmix

[Carlawarla 1]

I was diagnosed Type 2 Diabetic on October 1st of last year. I'm on medication and a low carb diet. I've lost 23 pounds, my blood sugars are wonderful now, and I'm finally not starving all of the time. I've been walking every day about 2 miles. I'm taking Tai Chi now, I take an aerobic water fitness class on Fridays. Gene bought me a bike last fall, and I was riding 3 times a week for a total of 12 miles. A local church about 2 miles from me has a fitness centre, and you don't have to be a member to use it. It's free. Indoor track, cardio equipment etc. so I'm going to check them out this week. We geocache, so in the nice weather when we're caching, we're hiking about 2-3 miles at a time. I got an MP3 player for Christmas, so I'm really enjoying the walking with music. I just uploaded an audiobook onto my player as well, so I'm looking forward to that.

In the past 25 years, I've tried WW, not NutriSystem( too expensive), the Grapefruit diet, you name it, I did it. I always lost weight quickly, which was a real motivator, but it never stayed off because most of the diets I tried weren't lifestyle changes, it was a lifestyle change only as long as I was on the diet.

So now I'm changing so many things about my life. Increasing fibre, exercising, eating smaller portions, watching carbs, and the weight is coming off, slowly. I'm not so anxious now about how fast it's coming off. That's the only way it's going to stay off, slowly but surely. I'm living and eating like I will be able to for many many years to come, not just to "take off some weight".

I've a long way to go, but I've never been more positive than I have been in the last three months. It was a horrible wake-up call to do something to have been diagnosed with Type2, but I'm looking at it as an opportunity to use this call as the beginning to a whole new way of living.

[Carlawarla 1]

I was diagnosed Type 2 Diabetic on October 1st of last year. I'm on medication and a low carb diet. I've lost 23 pounds, my blood sugars are wonderful now, and I'm finally not starving all of the time. I've been walking every day about 2 miles. I'm taking Tai Chi now, I take an aerobic water fitness class on Fridays. Gene bought me a bike last fall, and I was riding 3 times a week for a total of 12 miles. A local church about 2 miles from me has a fitness centre, and you don't have to be a member to use it. It's free. Indoor track, cardio equipment etc. so I'm going to check them out this week. We geocache, so in the nice weather when we're caching, we're hiking about 2-3 miles at a time. I got an MP3 player for Christmas, so I'm really enjoying the walking with music. I just uploaded an audiobook onto my player as well, so I'm looking forward to that.

In the past 25 years, I've tried WW, not NutriSystem( too expensive), the Grapefruit diet, you name it, I did it. I always lost weight quickly, which was a real motivator, but it never stayed off because most of the diets I tried weren't lifestyle changes, it was a lifestyle change only as long as I was on the diet. A really important thing for me, is that how I'm eating now, doesn't preclude me from enjoying anything I really love. I just can't eat it all the time, and I only have a taste. I'm like a child in that if someone tells me I can't eat something, it only makes me want to eat it more. I rebel. Of course the only person I hurt is myself then. However, my diet now, allows me to have the occassional sweet (I'm not a huge fan of sweets), or an extra portion of something if I'm really craving it. It's about moderation, smaller portions, and it HAS to include my exercise.

So now I'm changing so many things about my life. Increasing fibre, exercising, eating smaller portions, watching carbs, and the weight is coming off, slowly. I'm not so anxious now about how fast it's coming off. That's the only way it's going to stay off, slowly but surely. I'm living and eating like I will be able to for many many years to come, not just to "take off some weight".

I've a long way to go, but I've never been more positive than I have been in the last three months. It was a horrible wake-up call to do something to have been diagnosed with Type2, but I'm looking at it as an opportunity to use this call as the beginning to a whole new way of living.

[Reeena 0]

Whoaaaaaa!!

You have a physical fitness test at work and work makes you go to the gym??

Where do you work!

LOL

I'm in the military. My hubby is also in the military, the CF but he will be separating in April.

I am happy to say that since joining WW I can now fit into the uniform they issued me 10 years ago after 2 kids. I have not even been able to think about squeezing into it for atleast 8 years... I am such the pack-rat but now am glad I have held onto it over the years.

[antda 13]

Hi Everyone,

That’s great that you’re all going through this “New Year, New Diet Resolution”, as a "new start" for 2009!

Keep up the good work there, Everyone!

I remember about 1-2 years ago or so, doing the same “weight loss resolution” too, in which I lost 15 lbs (more than 10% of my body weight) then. Here is how I did it:

-Found out why I was gaining weight: increased emotional eating due to life stresses

-Found a reason to lose weight: to overall have better health and to live longer

-Kept a weight loss journal/diary/log to track my progress

-Counted and limited my daily calorie intake

-Choosing to eat more healther foods overall (Yes, that meant reading food labels like crazy)

-Cooking more at home, and rarely ever going out to eat (There aren't many places to go in a rural area anyways)

-Had a limited family food budget (“If I can’t afford to buy it, I can’t eat it”)

-Exercised 3-5 times a week on the treadmill and doing non-machine exercises

-Went outside for walks (It’s beautiful to walk through the rural countryside here)

-Had a very persistent “weight loss buddy” (My husband, who lost weight with me, though he didn't need to)

Hope these “tips/advice” helps you with your weight loss journeys too…

Funny that I’m currently on the “weight gain pregnancy diet”, which is the “opposite/reverse” of what I had before. And I find this “new weight gain diet” to be just as difficult as the weight gain diet, as at times I have all-day sickness and feel as though I have no appetite. Also, I’m limited as to what I can eat and do too. So far so good, as I’ve gained 3-4 lbs already, but I have another 25-30 to go…Uggh…Any advice as to how I can gain weight, yet at the same time being careful of what I eat and what I do? As well, any other advice as to how I can lose this extra weight afterwards?

Anyways, good luck to Everyone who is on the “New Year, New Diet Resolution”. Cheers to a happier and healthier 2009 to All indeed!

Ant (“New Year= New weight gain diet…”)

[Travis & Kim 0]

Sparkpeople

a friend emailed this to me today - I have already signed up - tho probably won't start until tomorrow with it as I am gong out to a bday dinner tonight - YAY for bellini's