<p>I am a total believer in the “good carb” South Beach Diet. It’s not like Atkins; the carb restriction is just on the type of carbs. It finally got me off the sugar wagon! The book explains how high glycemic foods make you crave. I only eat sugar on special occasions now, and can honestly say I no longer miss my sugar treats. I do eat sf/ff pudding. I eat all I want (and snack all day!) on peanut butter, beans, nuts and whole grains, and have maintained my weight loss for three years. Others I know love Weight Watchers–I think it’s worth it to try to find the diet that “fits” you. That along with adding walking or gym work!</p>
<p>Definitely have to find the right fit for you. Although I follow Weight Watchers, I break the cardinal rule about breakfast. I have a small nonfat latte in the morning and maybe a handful of Barbara’s Oat Squares and that’s it. I have a normal WW lunch and a normal dinner. The lack of breakfast allows me to have dessert which I enjoy. Also as I noted on another thread, as the mother of a college athlete, during the season I go on the “nervous mom” diet. </p>
<p>Run 3-6 miles 4 to 5 times a week plus weights and crunches. However, I think the exercise is more important for maintaining a healthy weight than for getting there. For getting there, restriction of caloric intake is the surest fire way I think to get results.</p>
<p>I like the structure/formulaic nature of dieting…following a “recipe” for weight loss that works can be fun.</p>
<p>I cant follow diets and although I was on atkins or something similar once for a few weeks and did lose a lot of weight- the most I do is not buy junk- or when I buy junk like a bag of donuts or cartons of ice cream for the others in the house ( who could eat that everyday, and they wouldnt gain an oz) its stuff I don’t like, so I am not tempted.
The atkins diet did teach me about glucose overload, so now I eat more protein than I did before and feel more stable.</p>
<p>I also found that once I started religously exercising, ( about 4 x a week- I originally started everyday-but it was starting to cut into my CC time), my appetite vanished. ( I also get more incentive from going in early evening, when the “young people” go, than in the morning when it is folks much older than how old I think I am- the downside is, in the evening all the tvs are set to * football* )</p>
<p>Although I do like beer- Birra Moretti La Rossa to be exact- I only have one ever once ina while- and since I am a lightweight, its only one.
I do like gin and tonics , so thats what I have when H & I go to play pool.( I tried to get him to join the gym- I don’t think you burn many cals playing pool)</p>
<p>Never liked coffee drinks with a lot of stuff- double tall latte with 2%.
I do like lassi though ( indian mango drink), but rarely have it
oh and drink water- you will lose weight just by drinking water, b ecause it helps your cells process better.</p>
<p>It helps to have an incentive to get going- a reunion or special event to aim for. I really ramped up my exercise, and although I feel like I should look like Twiggy for how much energy I put into it ( a model for you young folks), I have dropped at least two sizes- but I still hate to go shopping.</p>
<p>Another perk has been since I lost weight, my arthritis and asthma is much better, which is more incentive to exercise even more. I am learning to row on the water instead of just in the gym, and seriously thinking of trying snowboarding, during our winter vacation this year ( well maybe)</p>
<p>I do know friends who have done weight watchers though and it helped them a lot</p>
<p>One more thing I forgot to add to my post. </p>
<p>Exercise:
–regularly
–change your level of workout during the week
–do it with a friend or friends
–do what you like to do
–include weights and aerobics</p>
<p>A great source for the weights part of an exercise program is the book
“Strong Women Stay Slim” by By Miriam E. Nelson, Ph.D a researcher at Tufts University. The weight program uses free weights from just 1 to 5 pounds. The book is based on research completed at Tufts. It is a program very easy to do at home if you don’t have access to a gym.</p>
<p>Check out the Strong Women Newsletter, also: <a href=“http://www.strongwomen.com/newsletter/[/url]”>http://www.strongwomen.com/newsletter/</a></p>
<p>Get a puppy. I have lost weight without even trying, all that walking . . .</p>
<p>I eat no sweets (not just a few, NONE). Coffee with skim milk. Relatively small portions. All carbs complex. No nighttime snacking. An occasional half glass of red wine. I am at the gym six days a week, minimum 30 minutes on the treadmill, relatively slow speed (3.1-3.3) but high incline (3-5%) as directed by my trainer, lower body weights and machines and upper body on alternative days. Back to playing squash (will be 2-3 times a week.)</p>
<p>Haven’t lost an ounce. But I feel good (on the alternate days when I can lift my legs.)</p>
<p>i’m a college sophomore with a history of so-called “disordered eating.” over the summer, i started alloting myself a certain number of servings of every food group every day, based on health info i read on the net. it’s the only thing i’ve ever done in my colourful history of food that really keeps my eating under control. cravings, except before that-time-of-the-month, are basically no more, and i can eat a relatively small amount every day. i think my eating history, combined with a naturally slow metabolism, have prevented from losing weight quickly, but i’m sure i’ve lost some. some jeans that i couldn’t wear at the beginning of summer fit now. i am utterly against the low carb craze. it results in irrestible cravings for sugary treats when the body really needs plain bread. it is not usually tenable for the long term. i have about 6 servings of bread a day, and i wouldn’t do things any other way.</p>
<p>We had a puppy
if you really want a workout- get a lab that is bred for hunting.
Luckily we had a house ful of college students next door, who exercised her, when I was trying to get other things done. Otherwise she would have ran after the tennis ball until she dropped ( funny- she is 12 and she is still that way)
I also learned, not to get over enthusastic at the gym.
I used to love the eliptical machine and the stair climber- but I would do too much- & then I couldn’t do anything- very hard on my knees.
I learned that I have to do the upright bike- fast but with low resistance
and slowly build up my quads to support my knees.
It helps to have a physical therapist at least initially, to help you learn your body quirks and adjust for them.</p>
<p>My D tells me when I am sore I am not stretching enough. hmph
( don’t you love it when they use your words against you? 
)
I also found to my suprise, that when I went to the gym everyday- I didn’t allow my muscles enough time to rebuild. By only going every other day & alternating what I work on, I have been able to increase by a lot the amount of weight I can lift and the amount of resistance that I can use on the bike & rowing machine.</p>
<p>But good for you to start taking better care of yourself- you will live a lot longer and feel better!</p>
<p>How I wish I could be like you people and enjoy exercise! Everyone says if you stick with it, it becomes addictive. I’ve gone on 6-12mos bouts of regular exercise and then “had” to stop due to illness, trip, whatever…didn’t miss it at all. And of course, didn’t start back either until I got desparate again. I’ve never found anything that I really enjoy—okay, enough whining by me!</p>
<p>The best diet I ever went on was a divorce. 60#s in a couple of months. NOT RECOMMENDED, but I kept it off for 15 years. Now some of it is back and off to the gym I go. I started back this week after a year off. Every time I quit going it gets harder to go back. You’d think I would learn.</p>
<p>^BAndit–that happened to me once. Not a divorce, but an extreme stress. Lost 35 pounds in two months. Just didn’t want to eat.</p>
<p>Definitely not recommended.</p>
<p>Another bad way to lose a lot of weight: have two children under the age of four and catch bronchitis. Lie on the sofa with a low grade fever for three weeks wonder why you are feeling so bad. Finally go to the doctor after it dawns on you that in fact you have to stand up or else the three year old can’t get to nursery school and the seven month old will soon start to cry uncontrollably. Have the doctor take a look at you and tell you you are truly stupid and to get onto double antibiotics and quit nursing two kids at the same time. Go home and lie back down on the sofa. </p>
<p>Not recommended.</p>
<p>Try yoga, if the gym is not for you. You need a good instructor who helps you modify moves for your body’s aches and pains so you don’t overdo, but, even though you are only doing “poses” if you do them properly, it is a lot of work, not cardio perse, but causing much perspiration in my class! Also, as you continue, you can see real improvements, after just a few months, I can do the splits! Any little progress is very encouraging and it tends to be user-friendly.</p>
<p>Gar & Bandit:</p>
<p>I agree, extreme stress can give you a real kick start on your diet when you lose your appetite. The trick is keeping it lost When I had one of those adventures happen in life and lost 10# in a month, I tried to look at that as the wonderful positive outcome of the lousy situation; heck I’d been wanting to lose 10# for quite some time, so I chose to focus on that. I then endeavored to keep it off, so far, so good! </p>
<p>Not recommended. But if life gives you lemons, make lemonade and embrace the positives of the weight loss to inspire you to fitness.</p>
<p>I just go around hungry all the time – drinking water helps – but I’m still carrying an extra 15 lbs. I’d like to shed. :(</p>
<p>Well, it’s easy to start dropping weight. Do a food log for a week and see how much extraneous food you consume…that way you can cut out the extra food but also replace dubious foods with healthier ones (that might actually taste better). Keep only healthy foods around. Get cardio exercise regularly–meaning most days of the week</p>
<p>I lost 20 pounds on the Suzanne Somers’ diet and have kept it off for 4 years. I picked the book randomly off the shelf in a bookstore, read the 7 rules, and figured it couldn’t be worse/harder than all the other diets I’d tried over the years unsuccessfully. It’s a food combining diet, somewhat low-carb but with plenty of complex carbs and fruit. First your metabolism gets re-set, then the pounds melt off. Have never felt better.</p>
<p>
<em>sigh</em> This is <em>SO</em> me. Unfortunately, I am married to a man who <strong><em>LOVES</em></strong> exercise, and watching him go at it day after day, year after year (and <em>truly</em> missing it when he can’t for whatever reason) just depresses me. But G-D, he’s 53 with the bod of a 30-year-old!!! ;)</p>
<p>~berurah</p>
<p>I read Fantastic Voyage by Kurzweil and applied it. It’s not really a diet, it is more for being the absolute healthiest you can be. There is nothing particularly unhealthy about more weight, so long as you have gravitated there with a healthy diet. It is based on losts of vegetables, beans, fish, some nuts and limited amounts of carbs, animal protein other than fish, and fruits because of their high sugar content. </p>
<p>It also recommends a great deal of vitamins, minerals, and other supplemental information (eg. drinking green tea) and their uses. The book is simply a lot of information, but they do not expect you to use it all. They only want to present as much information which we are currently fairly confident about. After consciously choosing good foods to eat for a few months, I donated blood and received a cholesterol rating of 158. I am not sure what it was before but it was certainly above 180. That is just one very small metric, but I also lost 10 lbs when I wasn’t trying to lose any weight and felt a lot better as well.</p>
<p>mkm56 #29</p>
<p>I’m with you; I DESPISE exercise. For 3 years, I have tried all sorts of exercise 2-3 months at a time. I’ve tried walking, biking, the gazelle thing (now folded up & in our garage), and gyms. My sisters keep assuring me I will start feeling an exercise high after a month or so, and will really stary enjoying it. 3 years later, I’m still waiting. </p>
<p>My latest exercise venture sine July has been our local Curves, after 3 months of inactivity. I work out there 5 mornings a week. </p>
<p>My reward for this has been a gain of 9 pounds and 2 points on my BMI, without changing my diet, which I’ve followed for 3 years. It’s a South Beach-type diet, which worked fine until about 18 months ago. In that time frame, I’ve gone from 135 to 169 pounds. At 5’8", that is now officially FAT.</p>
<p>I’ve been tested for a thyroid problem, and no dice. </p>
<p>For someone 46 years old who has never had a weight problem before this 18 months, this is devastating and incomprehensible. </p>
<p>Because the weather is getting ready to cool off in the next few weeks, my husband is buying bikes for us tomorrow (with handlebar baskets for our 2 tiny Yorkies); we’re going to add bike-riding to our exercise program, and I’m going to cut back Curves to 3 mornings a week. </p>
<p>I don’t think I can do any better on the diet food. My mom died of diabetes, and I’ve been diagnosed insulin-resistant, so complex carb-loadup will not work for me. </p>
<p>Any suggestions?</p>