How did you lose weight?

[tdeveson]

I need to get the baby weight off. The kid's almost eleven. I started doing research and there is so much advise out there and much of it is contradictory. The South Beach Diet looks good. The Atkins Diet is intuitively unhealthy, but research has vindicated it. I tried that once. The first two weeks where you go carb-free cold turkey almost killed me with the headaches and nausea. The Mediterranean Diet has a lot of science behind it, but I'm not sure how you lose weight on it with so many beans and nuts. When I was a teenager, a guy in my church lost 80 pounds over six months eating only tomatoes. :tongue_smilie:

 

I'm trying to find something sensible and healthy that will allow dh and me to lose weight. I also want it to be the "center" of our family meals so all I have to do is supplement extra carbs and whatever for dh who is thin and athletic. I don't want to cook two dinners each night.

 

I'm interested in knowing what weight loss method has worked for you. Did you use a book? Did you just stop eating white food? Were you able to integrate it so it became a lifestyle?

 

I'm sitting here trying to create a healthy weight-loss menu for myself and dh and I don't know where to start.

 

Thanks for any advice or book recommendations you can offer.

[JudoMom]

I lost 85+ pounds in 2006, and have kept off all but 6 of them (which I'm going to start re-losing next week).

 

To jump start my weight loss and to break my addiction to food I ate only fruits and vegetables for several weeks. Then I didn't reintroduce sugar or white foods (I think until I hit my goal). I measured out correct portion sizes and kept an eye on calories.

 

I weighed myself daily (and still do).

 

I exercise daily (in the past 3 years I've only missed a couple of weeks total).

 

I use salad plates instead of dinner plates to eat off.

 

I drink only water. And 2-3 cups of coffee (with 1 tsp sugar, 1 tbsp creamer, and a splash of milk) daily.

[specialmama]

My dh used (and uses) Fit for Life as a lifestyle change. He took some of the pointers and has followed them and has never gained an ounce back. The things he took from it:

when you wake up and until lunch, eat as much fresh fruit as you want, but nothing else.

Only eat fruit fresh, and on an empty stomach. No limits.

Veggies ~ snack on them from lunch to dinner time, no limits. Raw only, and no or little dips.

no dairy although my dh loves cheese. He just cut milk out and uses soy.

sometimes he does the non combining of meats and starches, but he doesn't follow that all the time.

only water after dinner, no snacks from dinner to bed.

 

Through the years, I've adopted several things, but the big thing for me is fresh fruit only on an empty stomach.

[astrid]

Wow, JudoMom. I remember your posts from 2006 about your weight loss journey, but I don't think I realized the scope and sequence. Bravo! I'm in awe of your determination and accomplishment!

 

astrid

[sunflowerlady]

Atkins.

 

Nothing unhealthy about it. Meat, eggs, butter and other good fats, veggies, dairy, nuts and seeds, occasional fruit and low carb grains. These are what I eat in my maintenance level program.

 

I have lost over 30 pounds and am keeping it off. I have been following Atkins since June of 2008. Yes, induction was very difficult, but once I got past it, things have been fine.

 

Good luck with finding something that will be just right for you.:001_smile:

Edited January 5, 2010 by sunflowerlady
typo

[lynn]

I got my butt out of bed and out the door every morning and walked, crawled, ran, jogged for an hour every day.

[kewb]

Weight Watchers is what worked for me. I know what I am supposed to eat but portion control is a problem for me. I liked having a well balanced menu to follow until I was comfortable doing things on my own. I don't use their products as I prefer a whole foods approach and they suggest many foods that are full of artificial sweeteners. I would rather have a bite or two of the real thing then a whole artificially sweetened item.

 

I avoid white sugar and white flour. I also use a salad plate instead of a dinner plate and drink only water. No soda, the occasional glass of juice and/or wine. Eat more veggies (and you should be eating a rainbow of veggies) and less meat and fruit. Whole grains leave you feeling full longer.

 

Exercise is key in getting your metabolism going. It is not about doing aerobics to burn off the muffin you just ate. It is about exercising (aerobics to get your heart rate going) at least every other day so that your body burns its fuel more efficiently and all day.

[HeathenMom]

http://www.amazon.com/Fat-Flush-Plan-Louise-Gittleman/dp/0071383832/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262722093&sr=8-1

 

Fat Flush. this plan is good and the book will help you understand the body and the liver's role in weight management better than any book out there that i've come across. if you follow this plan, you will lose weight.

[milovany]

I've lost 35+ pounds twice by simply waiting until I felt physically hungry to eat and stopping before I was full (then waiting until physical hunger before eating again). I try to eat a variety of foods doing this -- not outlawing anything really. The *idea* is simple, but it's harder to implement because, well, I love the eat! I do know that when I'm focused on this, though, I lose weight every single time. And once it's off it's easier to keep off.

[EarleneW]

Weight watchers is the only thing that has worked for me. i am actually back on track as of yesterday after the last baby- I figure shes 3 now so i can't use her as an excuse anymore!

[Saille]

We're vegetarian with plenty of dairy, and the weight wasn't coming off for me, either, despite all my work outdoors in the garden. I've dropped two pants sizes since summer and I chalk it up to:

 

1. 2% in my coffee (no more half and half)

2. Cutting back on carbs, and eating only whole-grains when I do partake

3. Using stevia instead of sugar in my drinks (no soda anyway...makes my migraines worse)

 

and (here's the kicker):

 

4. Walking our new puppy 5-6x a week for 40 minutes to an hour (sometimes roads, mostly hiking trails).

 

I'm adding snowshoes now that there's permanent snow on the ground, and I may try the couch-to-5K program this spring.

[Perry]

I quit eating breakfast and lost 20 pounds.

 

I know the conventional wisdom is that breakfast is the most important meal, but I'm not buying it. Maybe if you have to go out and work in the fields at the crack of dawn, but that's not exactly my lifestyle.

 

I'm never hungry until about 10:30, so I wait until then and have an early lunch (usually a sandwich, chips and fruit). I have a light snack in the afternoon, then eat my usual dinner (and often dessert). I'm not doing anything else differently. I'm not losing as quickly now though, and I'd like to lose 10 more, so I may have to increase the veggies and decrease the sweets. But the first 20 was easy. I just don't eat unless I'm hungry now.

[Eleni]

for me using a program never works.

What DOES work is changing my attitude about food...it is fuel, it feeds my body, healthy good food protects against disease. Exercise helps prevent disease. I have to look at it like that. I make it a point that the only things that go into my body are good for it. IF I bake it is made with minimal sugars and lots of good things...I recently made muffins that had oat bran, flax meal, ww flour, applesauce, rasberry kefir, egg whites and blue berries..they were super good.

 

Sometimes I indulge..but in a good way...dh and I had an at home date night, I bought some goat cheese, drizzled some honey on it and ate it with herbs de provence flatbread, and had a glass of a beaujolais-village. I only ate a little but it was enough.

 

I do like the Eat Clean line of cookbooks by Tosca Reno...the food is super tasty and healthy.

[JudoMom]

Wow, JudoMom. I remember your posts from 2006 about your weight loss journey, but I don't think I realized the scope and sequence. Bravo! I'm in awe of your determination and accomplishment!

 

astrid

 

Aww, thanks :blush:

[elise1mds]

Diets will work differently for everyone, but I just started South Beach and can feel hunger, which almost never happens. I've always exercised on and off, and I really just can't manage a drastic lifestyle change with everything else I have going on, but I really want to lose my last 15 pounds, so that's why I've gone for South Beach. I'm still on phase one, but the meal planning hasn't been too difficult or different from my "normal" routine. Last night, for example, we had taco salad, and I just skipped the chips and sour cream on mine. Mostly I just need something I can sustain for a long time without putting the rest of the family out, like you. Good luck!

[MIch elle]

SouthBeach Diet

[PeterPan]

Curves (the women's workout place) was really great for me. I'm not supposed to do it now, because I'm still nursing and would get overtired. But you don't have that problem, not with an 11 yo. ;) Yup, highly recommend Curves!

[Greta]

The first two weeks where you go carb-free cold turkey almost killed me with the headaches and nausea.

 

I'm a huge fan and advocate of low-carb, but Atkins Induction Phase is (insert colorful word of your choice here). I recommend something more moderate and livable, like Life Without Bread. This book is really great for explaining the science behind why low-carb not only helps you lose weight, but is actually fantastic for your health too. Most of the book is devoted to that, and the program itself is a very small part. That's because it's so easy: restrict yourself to 72 grams or less of net carbohydrate grams per day. That's it. It's a very livable, do-able amount, but you will lose weight and feel fantastic.

 

(By way of comparison, Atkins Induction is less than 20g per day).

 

I haven't read your other replies, so forgive me if this has been mentioned. But that's not likely since it doesn't seem to be widely known.

[gardening momma]

The Atkins Diet is intuitively unhealthy, but research has vindicated it. I tried that once. The first two weeks where you go carb-free cold turkey almost killed me with the headaches and nausea.

Atkins' Induction phase includes 20 net carbs per day for the first two weeks--it's not carb-free. And you don't have to do Induction if you don't want to; if you got headaches and nausea, then you shouldn't. You can start at a higher carb count.

 

Dh and I did Atkins 6 years ago. He did Induction, and I did 90-120 net carbs/day (maintenance phase), since I was nursing (anyone nursing or pregnant should not do Induction). I basically followed the Induction guidelines, but then ate more at the end of the day to bring me up to 90-120 net carbs (sometimes a peanut butter & jelly sandwich was enough to make up the difference).

[teachermom2834]

I've lost 35+ pounds twice by simply waiting until I felt physically hungry to eat and stopping before I was full (then waiting until physical hunger before eating again). I try to eat a variety of foods doing this -- not outlawing anything really. The *idea* is simple, but it's harder to implement because, well, I love the eat! I do know that when I'm focused on this, though, I lose weight every single time. And once it's off it's easier to keep off.

 

I'm glad to hear this. This is what I am attempting. After 20 years of dieting and obsessing about food I can't stomach the idea of another "diet". I really feel like I need to break the cycle of obsessing about food/ dieting.

 

My dr. recommended the Weigh Down Diet book. She was just endorsing the concept- not the theology which I know is controversial. She said it has been the most successful long term approach she's seen in her practice. It is basically this same idea.

 

I'm giving it a shot. I think it will be a long process to learn how to eat this way. It is the only thing I feel hopeful about right now, though.

[Corraleno]

YOU: on a Diet, by Mehmet Oz and Michael Roizen, combines a very straightforward explanation of why & how your body gains and loses weight, plus a humorous "coaching" approach to get you started.

 

The diet consists of throwing out all the junk/processed food in your pantry (to reduce temptation) and eating healthy (whole-grains, lots of fruit & veg) combined with 20-30 minutes of walking or other daily exercise. It's been a while since I read it, but I remember from the documentary on TV that the people they worked with wore a pedometer and I think they were supposed to walk 10,000 steps a day? Something like that. (I just walked half an hour or so each day, I didn't count steps.)

 

It's a very simple program, but very effective ~ no calorie counting, no special foods, no exotic exercise equipment, just healthy food and walking. For me, understanding how the body works, how food is metabolized, how fat is stored, etc. was extremely helpful in staying on track.

 

The people they followed in the documentary lost lots of weight, had way more energy, and one guy went off almost all of his meds (blood pressure, cholesterol, etc). And because it's so simple, it's really easy to stick with it, whereas if you do Atkins or South Beach or something, once you lose the weight you need, people tend to go back to old habits and the weight just comes right back.

 

http://www.amazon.com/YOU-Revised-Owners-Manual-Management/dp/1439164967/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262720549&sr=8-1

 

Jackie

[Dawn in OH]

I will be dealing with this same situation again in a few months. I didn't work hard enough at getting the baby fat off timely from the last one. A mistake I don't intend to make again.

 

I did lose 12 lbs earlier this year (in about 3 months) by simply cutting out refined sugars, white flour, white rice, white potatoes, and refined grains (cereals). I didn't consume a lot of those things prior to the elimination, and I may have lost more weight (not sure), had I not gotten pregnant again. Another friend of mine did the same thing and she lost 25 lbs in a year.

 

I think there's probably no "best way" to do it. I think everyone's body and needs are different. I know what worked for me 10 years ago doesn't seem to have the same results anymore. I know people that swear by the Atkin's Diet and yet I can't stick it out.

 

I don't eat much to begin with, so I sometimes wonder if what I need to do is eat more and get more exercise. I know I get less exercise now than I did in past years. I just lived in a more exercise friendly environment before.

 

I'll be watching this thread with interest, and I wish the OP good luck.

[Ginevra]

I use calorie counting and I exercise most days. I am using SparkPeople.com (thanks for that recommendation, friends!), which is free and a great resource for counting food nutrition and getting exercise ideas and recipes.

 

For me, calorie counting makes the most sense because it is simple math. Cutting out all foods of a certain category would never work for me because I obsessively think about the forbidden food as if it was there to save my soul! Also, I make the meals for the most part and I don't want to eat separately. But counting calories works for me because I can still have a treat (not that I do that habitually), but I know that means I may be eating soup with it.

 

I also made simple replacements, i.e., Smart Balence on my toast, not butter, FF cream in my coffee, skim milk on my cereal. I drink water most of the time. (Coffee in the morning and an iced tea at dinner.)

 

I have used this method whenever I have porked up a bit, such as after a baby or when I've just had too much junk. :tongue_smilie: I've been doing this since Christmas was over and I have lost 6 pounds. Just about 9 more pounds and I will be right where I want to be.

[Corraleno]

I don't eat much to begin with, so I sometimes wonder if what I need to do is eat more and get more exercise. I know I get less exercise now than I did in past years.

 

This was the big lesson that I got from YOU: On a Diet ~ if you cut back calories without increasing exercise, your body will adapt to the lower calories by slowing your metabolism. Weight loss slows to a crawl, you have less energy, you crave sweets for quick energy, and you "fall off the wagon." Roizen & Oz found that just cutting out the junk food and adding exercise was much more effective. They suggest that if you want to lose weight faster, exercise more rather than eating less, because dramatically cutting calories just convinces your body that there's probably a famine going on and it needs to conserve fat stores!

 

Jackie

[Erica in PA]

Without a doubt, Weight Watchers. It is an amazing plan, where you are not hungry, can eat anything you want in moderation, and still lose weight at a steady pace. I have huge metabolic resistance to weight loss, and I am still losing 1-2 pounds weekly, without exercising at all. I do plan to add exercising soon, just for the health benefits, but I have found I don't need to exercise to lose weight. WW is def. an eating plan the can work for the whole family, very easily.

[milovany]

My dr. recommended the Weigh Down Diet book. She was just endorsing the concept- not the theology which I know is controversial.

 

Check out www.thinwithin.org -- same approach as WDW without the questionable theology. :001_smile:

 

(I was a WDW small group leader about 10 years ago.)

 

Judy Halliday wrote the book Thin Within, which predates WDW actually, and now it's a 30-day devotional that is really, really good. I'd highly recommend it.

 

This has been the best approach for me, too. It's just simple, and not full of counting, rules and "don'ts." But, again, it's not easy -- it does take determination and focus.

[funschooler5]

Technology has worked for me. :tongue_smilie:

 

I lost 25 lbs using an iPhone app called Lose It. You put in your height and weight, and how much weight you want to lose (you can do up to 2 lbs a week) and then it tells you how many calories you can eat a day. If you exercise, you can input that too, and it will subtract it from your calories consumed. It has a graph showing how much weight you've lost, and it's really motiviating.

 

The only scale I have is the one for my WiiFit game. I used to exercise on it, but now I just use it to keep track of my weight. The day the game went from saying "That's overweight" to "That's normal" was awesome! Before that happened, it was sort of a "let's try to beat the game" thing for me, which was a fun change for me.

 

For exercise, when the weather is nice I try to get outside and walk, and I also do The Slimmer in 7 Days workout on www.fitnessmagazine.com (this website has a ton of free workout videos you can watch on your computer). I did this workout 3 times a week (I'm just getting back into it...I took a big break over the holidays).

[funschooler5]

I use calorie counting and I exercise most days. I am using SparkPeople.com (thanks for that recommendation, friends!), which is free and a great resource for counting food nutrition and getting exercise ideas and recipes.

 

For me, calorie counting makes the most sense because it is simple math. Cutting out all foods of a certain category would never work for me because I obsessively think about the forbidden food as if it was there to save my soul! Also, I make the meals for the most part and I don't want to eat separately. But counting calories works for me because I can still have a treat (not that I do that habitually), but I know that means I may be eating soup with it.

 

I also made simple replacements, i.e., Smart Balence on my toast, not butter, FF cream in my coffee, skim milk on my cereal. I drink water most of the time. (Coffee in the morning and an iced tea at dinner.)

 

I have used this method whenever I have porked up a bit, such as after a baby or when I've just had too much junk. :tongue_smilie: I've been doing this since Christmas was over and I have lost 6 pounds. Just about 9 more pounds and I will be right where I want to be.

 

:iagree:

 

I second counting calories...I hate to give up every last bit of junk food, and by counting, I can ration out my calories, so I can have my nightly two pieces of dark chocolate (or whatever).

[SonshineLearner]

My dad is doing "lose it" I think on his I-Phone .... so if you have one....

Carrie:-)

[mhaddon]

Weight watchers. I love the program b/c it teaches you to eat better. Exercise, I loved loved Zumba- it was like going to a party :giggle2:

 

Water, I pretty much only drink water.

 

I am pregnant now, but I plan on going back to Zumba and WW after the baby is born and I am only drinking water now anyways. I think one of the most difficult things is getting used to drinking water all the time- now it is like a habit for me and I don't really care for anything other than some juice and milk.

[LarlaB]

I lost 45lbs (after gaining 60 w/ DS- lost 15 simply by giving birth) by:

 

-Counting Calories: 1400 per day (kept a detailed food journal- NO guesstimating)

AND

-Exercising 5x a week, for at least 30 minutes (weight bearing & cardio)

 

That's what it takes for me. :)

[Matryoshka]

South Beach is what works best for me.

 

Two weeks with no simple carbs and only low-fat dairy and meat.

 

Then keep out sugar and bad fats but add back small amounts of whole grains and fruit. It's really just "eat healthy, and not too much" - and there are great recipes (though the bulk of what I eat on it is just my own recipes modified a bit - who knew turnips substituted so well for potatoes?)

 

I was already exercising some, and didn't really increase it - lost 40 lbs.

 

I put a bit back on over the last two years of holidays and just started South Beach again yesterday.

[Elinor Everywhere]

 

I know the conventional wisdom is that breakfast is the most important meal, but I'm not buying it.

 

I agree! I am not, nor have ever been, a breakfast eater. I don't get up late or anything; I just have a hard time eating until 3 hours or so after getting up. Everyone is always talking about breakfast being the key, but when we spent time renting an apartment in Italy and went to the cafe for espresso like everybody else, they all chugged an espresso, read the paper, ate *nothing*, and then went off to work. And naturally, they were all thin.

 

I'm sure the rest of their lifestyle has a lot to do with it, but it did remind me that there are plenty of people out there in the world who are perfectly trim without eating breakfast. About 2 months ago I gave myself permission to stick with my espresso while the rest of the family eats breakfast (my dh likes to cook breakfast every morning if he is in town). Like you, I eat around 10:30 or so. I haven't lost much weight (yet), but I do feel so much better and more energetic throughout the day.

[Quiver0f10]

I lost 107#s but eating a low fat, high fiber, whole food diet and daily excersize. Unfortunately I have put some back on over the last year by eating junk and not excersizing. I made a comittment to eat healthy again now that the new year has come.

[GaHadley]

weight watchers. healthy choices that you can use for life. . . nothing is prohibited - it really teaches you new habits.

[BikeBookBread]

Eat less*, exercise more days than not. Sounds too simple, but it's the only thing that has worked for me.

 

*But make sure what you do eat really counts - whole foods, really limiting processed foods, drink water, etc.

[Amy loves Bud]

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. - Michael Pollan

 

I think sticking to a plant-based diet, low on refined anything, keeping animal products to occasional side dish portions, is the best thing you can do for yourself diet-wise.

 

And exercise. Get your heart rate up 3 times a week for 30 minutes straight, and then do some weight-training of some sort twice a week.

 

Try to think of these things as lifestyle changes rather than diets.

 

Off to take my own advice. :leaving:

[joannqn]

I have an acquaintance who has recently lost 60 lbs using LA Weight Loss's program. She says it is very similar to a diabetic exchange diet.

 

I lose weight when I have to follow a dairy free diet. I think it is a combination of much fewer calories (the milk, cheese, and ice cream really add up) and having to replace the dairy with something. I end up eating a lot more vegetables since all of my favorite non-vegetable sides have dairy in them.

 

I'm 21 pounds below my prepregnancy weight. :D Now I just need to figure out where I can fit some exercise into my day.

[Aggie]

I quit eating breakfast and lost 20 pounds.

 

I know the conventional wisdom is that breakfast is the most important meal, but I'm not buying it. Maybe if you have to go out and work in the fields at the crack of dawn, but that's not exactly my lifestyle.

 

I'm never hungry until about 10:30, so I wait until then and have an early lunch (usually a sandwich, chips and fruit). I have a light snack in the afternoon, then eat my usual dinner (and often dessert). I'm not doing anything else differently. I'm not losing as quickly now though, and I'd like to lose 10 more, so I may have to increase the veggies and decrease the sweets. But the first 20 was easy. I just don't eat unless I'm hungry now.

 

:iagree: It was very freeing to hear a Dr. say it was OK to not eat breakfast.

 

Also, cutting out white foods really helped. Whole grains are so much more filling and don't mess with my blood sugar.

[Jill- OK]

After baby #5, I lost about twenty pounds, instantly (he was huge, lol), and then in the following years, I lost about thirty more. (I'd packed it on during that pregnancy). I've kept it off, with a few fluctuations here and there. :)

 

Here are the things I experimented with, that stuck, for me (I think things like this vary from person to person, and what works for one may not work for another)...

 

Exercise first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach. (Also, don't neglect weight training).

 

Don't eat after 7pm (or three hours before bed).

 

Don't make anything "off limits", but practice moderation.

 

Focus on "whole foods"...also, try and eat more raw foods.

 

Try and lead a more naturally active lifestyle. (Still a work in progress).

 

I also have to say that when I need to lose, counting calories is necessary. SparkPeople is good for that, and for finding yummy recipes.

 

HTH!

 

ETA: I also wanted to remind the OP that research indicates that slow weight loss--the result of lifestyle changes, not quick fixes that can't be sustained--tends to be more permanent. Whatever you do, think of what you can do, long term. Simply making healthy choices, for most people, will yield results, but they might be slow to show up on the scale. Don't get discouraged.

Edited January 6, 2010 by Jill, OK

[Peela]

Raw food diet.

[AK_Mom4]

I've dropped 40lbs last year and am on my way to losing another 20 this year. When I was diagnosed as type 2 diabetic, the nutritionist directed me to a diabetes-friendly diet from diabetes.org. She pointed out that it is good for the whole family and it's much easier to lose weight when you are eating the same things as the rest of your family. Eating often and Portion control are big keys. In order to control my blood sugar (I don't want to have to take insulin), I have to get exercise every day. But really, the weight loss came from changing my eating habits from potatos and bread to low carb and good carbs (ones that have a lower glycemic index).

 

There are tons of books/websites out there for cooking/living with diabetes. The funny thing is that if more people ate the so called "diabetic diet", there would be lots fewer cases of diabetes!