LOOKING FOR A SAFE DIET PROGRAM......SUGGESTIONS...SORORS

[ClassyLady]

A few months back, the Heart & Soul / Tampax tour stopped by here. And, I was talking to Dr. Ro about the best way to lose weight. She told me that most diets really don't work because it's very hard to stick to a prescribed eating plan or to eat the same foods every day. She said the best way to lose weight is through portion control and light exercise.

She told me that eating the correct portions of food will dramatically help you lose weight because it cuts down the number of calories you eat. I didn't realize it, but I had been eating two to three times the proper portions of my food. For example, one portion of meat is about the size of a deck of cards. A T-bone steak is about two or three times that size.

I have scaled down my portions of food and begun to eat a lot more fruits and vegetables. With 20-30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise at least three times a week, I have already begun to see results. The hardest thing is trying to get the soft and squishy are around my middle to flat and hard, but I'm working on it.

[Chrysanthemum]

My guess is that you're already beautiful as you are. However, as someone with a very strong interest in diet and exercise, I wanted to offer the following caveat:

When you lose weight through dieting alone, and do not include aerobic and weight-training exercise, one-third of what you lose will be muscle, and diets don't discriminate which muscle you lose. An extreme example of this are anorexics: They do not die of starvation but rather of heart attacks. Their bodies feed off muscles, and the heart is included. On a diet that doesn't include enough of the right foods, your body thinks a famine is coming and starts storing fat to keep you warm and alive. If you should gain this weight back, what you gain will be 100 percent fat. Eat lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean meats, and drink at least 8 glasses of water a day (think 2 1-liter bottles). AND LIFT WEIGHTS!!

Please please please see your doctor, too!! Be healthy!! Get rid of your scale and measure your health by the way your clothes fit. I'm 5'4" and weigh 135 pounds, technically heavy for my bone structure, but I'm a size 4 because I pump iron and have a lot of muscle mass.

PM me if you want to know anything more about weight training, diets, etc., I'm always happy to talk to you. Oh, and remember that weight is usually lost from the top down, and spot reduction is a myth!!

[snuggles12]

To lose weight, you must really analyze your eating habits. For example, I ate alot of breads, cornflakes, pasta and other processed foods. I changed my eating habits to reduce my intake of processed foods and increase my intake of vegetables. I also included weight training (I already did aerobics) and I went from a size 14 to a size 8.

I still exercise and weight train 4 to 5 days a week. Majority of the foods I eat are healthy. I still have "treats" like chocolate and ice cream but I can't eat them everyday.

IMHO, most people select a "diet" to go on for a couple of weeks, lose weight and then return to their eating habits. They do not make a lifestyle change. Also, exercise should be included in any weight loss program. It doesn't have to going to the gym. It could be 30 minutes of dancing. It should be something that you will stick with.

[PenguinTrax]

Also drink LOTS of water...cut out soda (esp. caffeinated sodas), teas, fruit juices, etc. and drink [color=dark-blue]water[/color]. If you don't get enough water your body thinks you are experiencing a drought situation and stores water and fat to get itself through the lean times. Your body needs water to burn fat. If you don't drink anything until you are thirsty, you are dehydrating yourself and sabotaging your weight-loss plans.

Start each morning with two full glasses of water and drink a full glass once every 90 minutes or so. Not only will you help your body burn fat during exercise, you will have clearer skin, nicer hair and more energy.

I've been changing my water habits over the last month and I noticed a HUGE difference in energy, etc. since I started drinking more water.

I've also lost 6 pounds...and I'm not fully back into my exercise routine (recovering from a knee injury).

[Honeykiss1974]

Pilates can work wonders for that "soft and squishy " middle area. I've been doing if for about 2 months and I can see my middle area slimming and becoming firmer. Pilates is a series of stretches that will give you the same effect as low-impact aerobics, but you are on the floor the whole entire time. Think of it as high impact yoga!

[Kimmie1913]

Be very careful with the quick fix fad diets. I have done many in the past but the results are always temporary and usually are just water weight loss not loss of fat. Some of them are even dangerous to your health. The best advice I ever got is that it is not about being on a diet, it is about changing your eating habits for life.

I know some people attach all kinds of stigma to the name but I really like their current program- Weight Watchers. There points program has been working for me. My spec recommended it. After she had my goddaughter she held on to the baby weight for almost two years. She finally had enough and joined weight watchers. She looks fantastic! She lost all the baby weight and then some. Also, one of my ls's has been on it since just before Christmas and I have NEVER seen her look so slim and alive! She looks wonderful and swears by the program. Like with anything you have to make up your mind to stick to it, but if you do it does work.

The point of the program is teach you to eat healthier not to be on a diet. You learn how to better control your portion sizes and to make healthier food choices by letting the points make you aware of the ramifications of what you are choosing. You can eat anything you just have to realize that the Whopper has half of our calories for the day in it and you could have eaten a field of carrots instead. Also, you can either join and attend the weekly meetings or you can be an online member. To be an online member just requires a but more discipline because you do not have the pressure of weighing in in front of another person every week. I am an online member and I have my boyfriend weigh me in every week to keep the pressure on! Visit www.weightwatchers.com for more information on the program. And anyone who is interested can PM me about it as well.

[1savvydiva]

Any new tips/suggestions/success stories?

[Exquisite5]

Very simple way to lose weight...mathematically proven.

First, understand that 1 lb of fat is equivalent to 3500 calories.

So, to lose 1 # of fat a week, reduce diet/expend 3500 calories.

To start, track what you eat and record calories for 3 days. Do NOT change what you eat. Eat as you normally would. Calculate on average how many calories you eat a day. Then to begin your weight loss plan cut your caloric intake by 300 calories a day.

Now, add in cardio so that you expend 200 calories a day. You can do this generally by running a mile or two or taking an aerobics class.

By cutting your diet by 300 calories and adding working out to expend 200 calories you have now eliminated 500 calories each day. Wtih 7 days in a week you will burn 3500 calories a week, or one pound of fat!

So simple! If you add in weigh training you will up your metabolism and burn weight all day and you can slip into 1.5-2 lbs per week. It works, it really does!

[LeLe]

My roommate just got a new book titled The Zone its supposed to be a guide to long term weight loos and prevention of deadly weight related diseases. You are suppose to be able to completely change your genetic code!!! You create your own plan based on you weight , body fat , and measurements.
The author is Barry Sears Ph.D I'm going to start it Monday and will keep you posted on the results. Ohh there is also a list they provide you on the bad carbohydrates, and fats. It is compiled of alot of the advice my doctor has given me in the past. Good luck ladies!!!

[Christian]

May I suggest Weight watchers to anyone wanting to lose weight. Three and a half years ago I lost 78 pounds on my own. I just changed my eating habits and exercised regularly ( cardio & resistance training). I later gained 43 pounds with my pregnancy. After splurging during pregnancy, I felt like I needed a little more structure/guidance. My doctor recommended WW and it was great! I lost all of the weight that I had gained.

[Sistermadly]

Ditto on Weight Watchers. I hit the century club as of this morning (-100 pounds) and I did it in nine and a half months. Although it's not important how fast the weight is coming off, it's still pretty cool.

WW teaches you to change your life - not to diet. That's been the key for me.

[LeLe]

I tried Weight Watchers I think it works better when you cook. Since I am still in school and eat in the cafeteria it is hard to count the points for three weeks I did lose six pounds!!

[Conskeeted7]

Hello ladies,

I had to come say a little about the diet thing. I decided this year I was going to try to lose some weight. So, I joined a gym and started paying attention to what I ate. There were so many times I was snacking for no good reason. I cooked more and didn't eat out as much. However, I could still grab some fast food when I was on the run. My job keeps me on the go, so that was still about once a week. Other days, I'd pack a lunch or some apples and grapes and nibble on those all day. I drank A LOT of water and I am happy to say that I've lost 2 dress sizes, 20 puonds, and LOTS of inches all over. I work out all the time. Either aerobic class, kickboxing, or just lifting weights and walking on the treadmill. You don't have to diet girlfriends, just get active and cut back on the things you don't really need. Find something that fills you up but isn't high in fat and calories and make that your best friend. Mine was apples. Diets can be hard to stick to because they are often very restrictive. but just managing what you eat and how active you are is so much easier. I can still have ice cream, brownies, french fries, and anything else I want. As long as I don't have it everyday and I still work out, I'm fine. You can do it. Good luck to you all.

[Dedicated1]

Ladies check out this web site.

If you try any of these diets, let us know how they worked for you.


http://www.ivillage.com/diet/features/dietsaz

[Honeykiss1974]

Originally posted by Sistermadly
Ditto on Weight Watchers. I hit the century club as of this morning (-100 pounds) and I did it in nine and a half months. Although it's not important how fast the weight is coming off, it's still pretty cool.

WW teaches you to change your life - not to diet. That's been the key for me.

WHOA! You've lost 100 POUNDS?

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!