<p>For example, how do you avoid those late night killer snacks when, like me, you have zero will power (I mean like 9PM when I could eat the universe)? Go to bed early? I can’t sleep well if I’m hungry.</p>
<p>Don’t like to take meds unless absolutely necessary. A neighbor was prescribed phentermine last week by her “diet doctor”. While she claims it really curtails her appetite, I can’t help think she’s crazy given all the fen-phen publicity a few years ago.</p>
<p>Any suggestions on a diet jump start? I’m desperate and open to all suggestions/rituals. Thanks.</p>
<p>Here’s my new plan. I have yet to see if it works:</p>
<p>Eat about half of what I normally eat, and eat it slower than usual. It’s only been a couple of days but so far, so good.</p>
<p>I have celiac disease which means I cannot eat wheat, rye, barley or oats - so I don’t want to have to further limit my options by cutting out carbs or fat. I figure this way I can still have good stuff, just not as much of it. I need to take off about 15 lbs.</p>
<p>Eat from a saucer or salad plate & eat s-l-o-w-l-y. If you need a bowl, use a small ricebowl, like those they have at asian restaurants. Smaller portion size, slower eating and more exercise is a great way to tone up. </p>
<p>Stock up on healthy, low cal snacks & try not to eat anything within 3 hours of bed (or after a set time–8pm). Vegetable sticks are low cal & can be satisfying. Unbuttered popcorn or pretzels are fairly low cal. Better yet, if you get hungry, have a mug of warm water & take a walk around the neighborhood.</p>
<p>2331clk–I know what you’re talking about. It’s not the meals so much as hours after. Some tips–brush teeth, gargle mouthwash, chew gum. Also, as Himom says, take a walk or othwise remove self from site of temptation.</p>
<p>i actually meet with a registered dietitian about once a month. we used to meet weekly, but now that i am keeping things under control, once a month is enough. </p>
<p>she created a food diary specifically for me–she has now also done one for my husband–and the key is to write down everything you eat.</p>
<p>the second most important thing for me is to eat all the good foods i am allowed–scheduled snacks are the most important thing for me because it keeps me from getting so hungry that i could eat anything–well amost anything–except for some of those worst items on the menu things…</p>
<p>in addition, i also attend cycling and pilates classes on a very regular basis. 35 lbs down since last july and just 10 more to go!</p>
<p>This can kick start the loss.
Take what you are eating in 3 meals and divide each in half, eat more often, at least every 3 hours, and save one of them for that 9 PM hour. Make sure there is a little lean protein or dairy each mini meal. If dinner seems too small fill with volume foods like salad and veggies. Drink plenty of water.</p>
<p>I had success with weight watcher’s core plan and am a lifetime member now at a size 6 and still losing at a small rate. They changed the plan in January and I don’t like the new plan at all. I cannot stay anywhere near the recommended points and don’t want to write down everything I eat for the rest of my life, so just went back to eating 95% core foods (lean meat, fat-free cheese and other dairy, whole fruits, veggies, whole grain pastas and potatoes are OK but no bread). If I’m hungry, I eat, even if it’s 9:00 at night but I won’t let myself have a non-core food (ice cream, bread and olive oil, chocolate, etc.). </p>
<p>Cravings for carrot sticks are rare so the “no non-core foods when hungry or craving a snack rule” cuts way down on late night snacking. I can eat noncore foods (up to 35 points a week), but carefully plan those in advance, eat them in a very limited amount, and make sure I’m not actually hungry when I have any. For example, I let myself have birthday cake and ice cream on my birthday on Monday, but made sure I had a big dinner of core foods first so I was perfectly satisfied with only a small sliver.</p>
<p>Ditto–write down every bite you eat (even on a notebook paper w/the date on it). I have a certain # of calories per day I strive not to exceed. This works.</p>
<p>A plate of raw veggies w/dijon mustard dip (oh yes, sounds yummy) is good to have at night to avoid ‘bad snacking.’</p>
<p>I found a 3-pack of mini composition books (3.25 x 4.5 inches) at Office Depot. I use mine to keep track of what I weigh and what I eat each day. They’re small enough to easily fit into your purse.</p>
<p>WW changed their plan again??? That is one thing I don’t like about them – every time I went back I had to learn a new plan. The last time, the points meant I couldn’t even have a glass of juice. What changed?</p>
<p>Concentrate on eating fewer calories during the day so you can have a snack at night. Or determine what your late night indulgence will be and then just have it. (I lost 30 pounds eating one piece of chocolate every night.)</p>
<p>Eat one bowl of cereal at breakfast, one bowl of soup at lunch, and don’t take seconds at supper. Drink lots of black coffee and tea. Yes, I’m hungry often, but it seems to work.</p>
<p>Don’t do anything drastic until you have written down your intake for at least a week. This means everything…from what your kid (if any) left on his plate, to the Hershey’s Kiss you had at work, to the cookie crumbs in the bottom of the tin. Once you know what you are eating, you can figure out places to cut or modify. A pound is 3500 calories. If you can cut your weekly intake by half that and add in enough calorie-burning movement to equal the other half, that’s a pound gone. A pedometer will help with the moving. Strive for 10,000 steps a day. </p>
<p>I am cutting out the starch at dinner (rice, potatoes, whatever), doubling up on plain veggies or with a little balsamic, and am eating much less at breakfast as I don’t care much about it anyway. A yogurt with a little granola is all I can face then these days! I’ve tried some ‘diet plans’ and they leave me obsessing about food. But by cutting out the things you don’t really like or need (who says you need to have a potato with dinner?), you can slowly whittle your waist.</p>
<p>mimk6, the new plan is called the Momentum Plan and it combines the Core Plan and Flex Plan by encouraging you to eat core foods, which have been renamed “filling foods” but still count points and requires you to journal. When I try to restrict myself to the required points (even 100% core/filling foods, which is all I eat most days anyway), I just can’t do it. I feel positively starved, or I cheat and feel guilty and then it all just falls apart. I don’t mind journaling per se except that it shows how much more I eat than I should, creates too much focus on food for my taste, and doesn’t seem like a natural lifelong habit, for me.</p>
<p>I have lost this same weight on WW several times in the past but only through incredible discipline. Eventually, I would always relax that discipline and gain all the weight back. The Core Plan was the first time the diet didn’t feel like a diet. When I hit goal, I didn’t feel like changing anything and am now 10 pounds below goal and still losing without feeling like I am dieting. So, they can change the plan as many more times as they want. I have found the plan that works for me and I’m doing this for the rest of my life.</p>
<p>^^I think a few things TheA said are important.
–It’s good if you do not feel like you are dieting. If you call it a diet–you just feel
hungry!
–What ever you do, if it takes off pounds, you have to do it for life. People often gain<br>
back the weight they lost. It’s usually because they stopped the diet.</p>
<p>About a year ago I found out I have high cholesterol. To help lower it I changed my eating habits. I have tried to reduce the saturated fat in my diet as much as possible. I was not on a diet, but I lost over 15 pounds. I was not trying, but I’ll gladly take it. </p>
<p>I’m not hungry because I eat whenever I want–as long as it is low/or no saturated fat. And i guess I am going to do this for life (literally!!haha).</p>
<p>Thanks for the answer, TheAnalyst – sounds like a lot of work. It’s great the Core works so well for you. I think my problem had to do with no cheese or fat as I recall so I did points and the points worked OK except I have now gained back all the weight plus more. And the closer I got to my goal, the more starved I felt as my points kept getting lowered. I’m very reticent to go on any program now because each time I ultimately end up heavier than when I started and I’m usually at a stable weight when I start. I don’t actually think I have an unhealthy relationship with food or anything like that – my metabolism has just slowed to a ridiculous crawl as I’ve aged.</p>
<p>I lost 15 pounds starting a year ago and have kept it off (and still need to lose a few more). I have finally learned after 49 years, that the only plan that will work is one that you can truly live with not just for a week or a month but for a lifetime. And that for me, means key word “moderation”. I don’t deny myself any food groups, but think about EVERYTHING before I put it in my mouth. Plan ahead. Drink lots of water. </p>
<p>Eat a little less, a little more healthy and plan ahead. </p>
<p>A really helpful tool for me, was this website which I know I’ve mentioned before…</p>
<p>Also wanted to mention that I start most days of the week eating the same breakfast - grape nuts with raw almonds and dried cherries or blueberries and skim milk. It starts me off filled and without guess work (and temptations) most days of the week I have it.</p>