<p>I would like to lose the 10 or 15 pounds that have “found” me over the last year or so. I have many health issues and even though I do exercise, it is not at any level where it would help me actually lose weight. So I’d like to rely on diet changes only for now.</p>
<p>I believe some medicine I am taking is actually contributing to my weight gain. (I will be on this medicine for one more year, but I want to do something about the weight gain now)</p>
<p>Is eating all protein the answer? Protein and vegetables? No starch? I would love some ideas from people who have lost weight recently with change in diet ideas.</p>
<p>A few months ago I gave up my one diet coke per day. I am now back to one a day again. Is that a big issue for trying to lose weight?</p>
<p>Has anyone found a “fad” diet to work quickly and has kept the weight off? I find that trying to lose 10 pounds is in some ways harder than trying to lose 30. Suggestions welcome, thanks.</p>
<p>Yes, skip the diet coke.
I dont diet, I just lighten up on ice cream for snacks.
Eat more fiber.
I havent tried it, but I have several friends who use this plan periodically.
[17</a> Day Diet: Diet Review - WebMD](<a href=“http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/17-day-diet-review]17”>The 17 Day Diet)
It also may be that you wont lose the last 10 lbs till you are off your meds.
But Ive found that building muscle is the only thing that helps me lose weight( and actually I still weigh the same, but I am a couple sizes smaller)</p>
<p>My sister just lost quite a bit of weight on a rather extreme, but very healthy diet. Though she exercises like crazy, due to thyroid issues, she just couldn’t lose. She still is on a no alcohol, no dairy, vegan diet. Apparently you can get plenty of protein and calcium from large amounts of leafy green vegetables. She looks and feels fantastic, but I don’t know how anyone could keep that up. </p>
<p>Who needs ice cream and wine when you can eat all the kale you want?</p>
<p>The only “diet” that will take the 10 off and keep it off is a diet that you can and are willing to maintain indefinitely. It’s a life style and nutrition change that cannot be temporary. </p>
<p>Can you eat only protein indefinitely? Likely no.
No starches/carbs indefinitely? </p>
<p>You get the picture.</p>
<p>Losing weight is really a simple math of calories/nutrients going in and calories going out (being burned off by daily exercise or basic movement). </p>
<p>I would recommend using a food tracking program - My Plate on Livestrong.com or one of the others . You ave to be completely honest and keep track of every bite - every cracker, every beverage - everything . It will open your eyes and be the first step in making a plan.</p>
<p>If you want to put in the effort, studies suggest these ways:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Write down everything you eat. Learn the calories in what you consume. Total up each day. Part of the process is learning how to stop lying to yourself about what you eat. (This has worked for me. It takes a commitment, which I think is why many people prefer a “diet” like no carb.)</p></li>
<li><p>Do it with a friend. Joint efforts have been shown to succeed better. That’s a main driver behind Weight Watchers, etc.: if they can get you to come over and over, etc. (I’m less of a fan of this because one of you is likely to do better and no one needs hurt feelings. And groups of people you don’t know all that well encourage lying about what you eat/do/etc.)</p></li>
<li><p>Bet money. There are sites which let you make a wager that you’ll lose x pounds or forfeit money. You have to put up the cash. That’s the economic stick argument embodied in the entire “nudge” movement.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I’m going to lose the same 8-10 pounds. I will do weight watchers which has been great in the past. I just fell off the wagon this year…too many vacations with too much good food!</p>
<p>It is possible that very difficult - if you just cut your intake, your metabolism rate will drop. Therefore what do you eat and when to eat become a science. </p>
<p>My doctor told me is to eat small meals every 3 or so hours. </p>
<p>Personally, I suffered a grade 2 tear on my calf muscle at my full marathon training and have not been able to do much exercise for a couple of months now. Maintaining the weight is extremely difficult without burning 1000 calories a day from running. One can only do so many push ups in a day. </p>
<p>Be patient, it takes time. As the science goes - one lb of fat is 3500 calories. If you reduce intake by 300 calories a day, it will take about two weeks to lose one lb.</p>
<p>My concern is that the weight gain is due to the medication you are taking. My experience with this issue is that no amount of dieting can counter whatever the medication is doing to my body. I can drastically cut my caloric intake and up the exercise, but nothing happens.</p>
<p>Someone mentioned the flu. I did get the flu while on medication that makes me gain weight. I ate very little for about 7 days, and there was no drop in weight. But when I gradually got my appetite back, still eating less than normal a day, I gained weight.</p>
<p>I’ve gone through the medication weight gain twice, and both times, it just gradually game off after I stopped taking the medication.</p>
<p>I’m sharing my experience because I don’t want you to become frustrated if all of the other advice doesn’t help you achieve the desired results.</p>
<p>(In response to bd) flu, surgery, and pneumonia have all worked wonders for me. </p>
<p>Before my surgery, I cut out pop and most processed foods (allowing for a treat now and then) and managed to lose about 5 pounds in a few weeks. </p>
<p>Really, dieting can only help you lose so much so quickly. You need to maintain a certain amount of calories to function so if you’re already on a low-calorie diet then there might not be much you can do about that. </p>
<p>Drink a lot of water and get whatever exercise you can. Low calorie (not dramatically low calorie but lower than what you were consuming) and low-fat are the key. I highly recommend against “fad” diets that promote cutting out carbs, etc. You NEED things like carbs, starches, and so on to live. However, changing to eating healthier foods not only will help you lose weight but will help you keep it off. </p>
<p>You can also just talk to your doctor. My mom has Graves Disease so they killed her thyroid and she ballooned. She’s now on pills that help her lose and control her weight. If you think that your meds are adding on unhealthy weight, it could be worth bringing up.</p>
<p>Wow, thanks for so many fast responses, cc friends!</p>
<p>One thing I do know is that I cannot change this medicine. Writing everything down sounds like the way to go to see where my bad habits lie. I also do not drink enough water or fluids in general. I do eat smaller meals often, maybe too often! ;)</p>
<p>EK: That 17 day meal plan looks fabulous…I think if I visually look at a meal plan to follow, then psychologically it will work.</p>
<p>I’m lucky I do like Kale and all veggies, but they do tend to be “gas-ious”…</p>
<p>I will step up the water drinking and give up some carbs and see if I can follow that meal plan and see what happens!</p>
<p>DadII what are you EATING that you need to burn 1000 calories a DAY to maintain your weight? Sorry but you need to do an adjustment to WHAT you are eating!</p>
<p>As one of the posters mentioned, keeping a food diary increases the awareness of what you are eating. Many studies have shown that people consistently underestimate the amount of food they intake. (Similarly, men underestimate how bald they are.)</p>
<p>But there is another reason why this is helpful. The sheer aversiveness of having to write it all down. To summarize the psychological principle: “Oy, I’m going to have to write all this down. I think I’ll just skip it so I won’t have to write about it.”</p>
<p>In general, self-monitoring a behavior tends to reduce the frequency of that behavior.</p>
<p>OP- you said you cannot really do exercise, but can you walk at all? Even just around your house? I bought a fitbit and I love it, I aim to get more than 10,000 steps daily, often I am much higher, but some days at 10PM I find myself needing to walk around and around to get a last 1000-2000 steps. It keeps me honest & it encourages me to get any extra steps I can throughout the day. These little bits add up and I think increase metabolism a bit. Something like that could help you get a good feel for your basic activity level.</p>
<p>Colories in/Calories out. Keep a food diet for a couple weeks, then start eliminating and substituting to get you to a 1-2 pound weight loss each week. That is the ONLY thing that works for me in the absence of increasing my exercise. I just had to knock off 15 pounds that crept on during the past two years as I went through menopause finally and it took me almost 4 months, but they are gone and I’ve gotten used to the things I eliminated and the substitutions.</p>
<p>I lost about ten pounds last spring - weight I added gradually over the years and wanted to lose strictly because of vanity - went from 135 to 125 (5’7").</p>
<p>Breakfast: 1 banana and coffee
Mid morning snack: 1 T peanut butter on two slices Fiber One bread
Lunch: Salad with grilled chicken breast/hard boiled egg/chickpeas/legumes lightly dressed with olive oil and vinegar
Afternoon snack: Greek yogurt or cottage cheese
Dinner: Grilled fish or chicken, various non starchy vegetables</p>
<p>Lots of water and green tea throughout the day.</p>
<p>I ate pretty much the same thing every day, except for dinner which I made sure was enjoyable and varied. I kept my calories under 1400 per day, but I didn’t count them precisely. Adding fiber rich foods really helps curb hunger - I can’t say enough about Fiber One bread - tasty, filling and 100 calories in two slices. I also made a point to eat something if I felt really hungry - deprivation usually leads to overeating and it is better to just eat something.</p>
<p>I have done little exercise when I’ve lost weight. I do a low fat diet- and having protein in the morning (which I tend to forget about) helps. </p>
<p>But yes-- some meds will cause weight gain. DK what you are on, but that could be the culprit. Eat 1200-1500 cal a day. That should do it</p>
<p>I’ve lost about thirty pounds over the last three years. I wasn’t in a hurry, I wanted a diet that I could live with forever. For me the approach was to keep a food diary for a while and then figure out what I could eating with a diet that would according to Livestrong have me losing about a pound a week. As I got smaller the rate of loss has lessened a lot. From time to time (holidays) I fall off the wagon and have to work a little harder at it. For me wine on weekends, Saturday waffles, a small whole wheat English muffin or bagel for breakfast were non-negotiable, as were eating what I wanted at fancy restaurants (we go only for special occasions). At parties I really try to alternate wine and water and go easy on the cheese and crackers. </p>
<p>I believe you need a diet with both fat and protein or you will feel deprived all the time. Carbs are your enemy - especially the white ones - potatoes, rice, pasta, bread, and of course sugar. Think of them as very limited treats that you should not eat on a regular basis.</p>
<p>It turns out calorie in calorie out is not as simple as it sounds. The calories you will absorb from a food seems to depend on your metabolism, gut bacteria, and whether or not the food is cooked or not. This month’s Scientific American has some really fascinating articles about nutrition. Well worth reading. Here’s a video version of what I thought was one of the more interesting articles: [Why</a> Calorie Counts Are Wrong: Scientific American Video](<a href=“Video - Scientific American”>Video - Scientific American)</p>
<p>Do what I say not what I do…I too have about ten pounds I’d like to lose as the result of a running injury and my too great love of food.</p>
<p>Write down what you eat and when you eat it for a few days. As noted, being aware of what you eat is the first step. I’d add that when you eat it, when you get the munchies, is also important. </p>
<p>Friends have had good luck with the old South Beach Diet. It is protein and lots of veggies, as I recall. </p>
<p>I do better trying to eat more fruits and veggies as opposed to eliminating sweets. Telling myself I have to eat five different fruits and veggies a day works better than telling myself I can’t have a cookie. I think about that cookie all day.</p>
