Please help?

[gabsmom123]

Hi, Everyone,
I am attempting to lose some weight. My first step is to cut back on caffeine and juice. I am attempting to only drink water. I have tried this before and it did not work. I don't like the water that has the splenda in it. Does anyone else have any tips for me regarding trying to cut back?

[cat lover]

This will take you to Healthy Cooking which has several sub-forums realted to different ways of cooking and even some commercial weight loss recipes. Hope it helps!


http://www.momsmenu.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=45

[DeBora4BobbyL]

Gabsmom, Catlover gave you an excellant place to go.

I personally have gone on a diet a couple of times, with success. (I need to go on another. lol) Anyway, I personally believe in reducing the carbs and when you do, eat whole grains as much as possible. I believe in proper food combining as well as your body produces different chemicals to digest different foods and they aren't always compatible, and therefore, can take too long to digest and cause weight gain. Fruits should be eaten alone and prior to other foods. I feel that if you eat friuits prior to a meal, then, don't mix your carbs with proteins/fats, and reduce carbs, you should lose weight. Also, drink plenty of water. Stress can also affect the body's ability to lose weight.

Good luck. I hope others can give you some more ideas.

[Fish3711]

I wanted to lose 10 lbs. I tried the grapenut cereal thing but it didn't work. So this is what did, I eat breakfast cereal every day for a meal with a piece of fruit. That is my breakfast/lunch. Then I have soup, like chunkys chicken noodle for dinner with a carnation instant breakfast. For a snack I have like a handful of almonds or a granola bar and water. At night I walk 3-4 miles on my treadmill. I lost 6 lbs that way and hopefully will lose the remaining 4. Any diet you do use you will have be accomadating to your health, are you a diabetic? etc... It's basically eating less and exercising more.
I wish you luck.
Felicia

[DeBora4BobbyL]

Felicia, what you just stated made me think of something worth saying. No diet is going to be successful if you don't like it, I don't care how good it is. However, if you like it and believe in it, I think that you will have a better chance. That's my overweight self's point of view anyway. lol But hey, I am overweight by choice. I successfully went on a diet last year. However, I think that when my stress level is down, I will go back on one.

[ewriggs]

Hi gabsmom123 -

I find that any liquids that are "flavored" will make me hungry sooner. So I just drink plain water. If you don't like the flavor of your local tap water, try filtering it with a Pur or Brita filtering system. I like the taste of the water from that. I also put a covered pitcher of it in the refrigerator because it makes it taste even better.

While water is important, don't rely on it as a "gimmick" to help you lose weight. What the others said about "eating less and exercising more" is good. But also rely more on fresh or frozen foods, rather than boxed, canned or pre-prepared. Avoid foods that had "high fructose corn syrup" added. Several announcements have come out about that being implicated in obesity. Apparently we "handle" it differently from other sugars. Also, avoid high fat non-foods (chips, canned salted nuts, etc). While fat helps with feeling "full" (satiety factor), the non-foods (low nutrition) don't help.

Some people do better on a high-complex-carb diet, while others do better on a low-carb high-protein diet. It depends on your metabolism. You'll have to learn that for yourself. It's important to work with your own body and metabolism.

Exercise doesn't have to be in long, sweaty sessions. You can simply be more active throughout the day. Park 1/2 to 1 block farther away from stores so you walk more. Don't use the remote - get up and change the TV channels. If you are "forced" to use the remote (no channel changer on the TV) at least stand up each time you use it. One of the "keys" to weight loss is to maximize your calorie usage. Another is to minimize the calorie intake. It is interesting how many "little" ways there are to do these. Using "light" butter or a "light" spread helps. Blotting fat off of sauteed or fried foods will help. There are many other little tricks. I'll post some more a little later.

Cheerio!
Elizabeth

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*
~*~ "A cookbookk is only as good as its worst recipe"
~*~ Julia Child ~*~
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[gwtw-mom]

I started a major change to my diet and exercise routine last year. My main advice would be to take it slow. Any change you make needs to be thought of as a permanent change.

I would suggest trying to cut back on either caffeine or juice, one at a time. When you've conquered one, work on the other. And don't totally bar it from your diet forever, or you'll crave it everyday.

I started by adding more fruits and veggies to my diet. I read somewhere that 2/3 of your plate needs to be veggies when you sit down to eat. With that in mind, I focused on adding more veggies to my diet each week.

As far as fruit goes, having lots on hand so it's easier to grab than other snacky type things will help you feel really good about the choices you make.

I also really watch the fat content of my food purchases. For instance, I had no idea that Hamburger Helper had so much fat in it! I immediately cut that out of my diet. I generally don't buy things that are completely fat free, unless I'm cooking with them, because some fat in your diet is okay.

Also, if you cook with a crock-pot, you might purchase the Fix-It-And-Forget-It Lightly cookbook. Tons of recipes in there for the serious dieter. I love mine.

I started doing these small changes (along with adding exercise to my day) and so far I've lost 42 lbs. So, it can be done you just need to look at things as a permanent change rather than a temporary one to help you lose a few pounds.

Good luck!!

Tammy :)

[cat lover]

gwtw-mom, follow this link over to the Introduce Yourself thread so others can get to know you too! Glad you have joined us and looking forward to learning more about you!

http://www.momsmenu.com/forums/showthread.php?t=252&page=32

[DeBora4BobbyL]

Tammy, welcome to MM! Like Cat suggested, hop over to the Welcome Thread so that other friendly people can greet you.

Thanks for the wonderful suggestions! Congrats on the weight loss too!

[Yummys_Girl]

I do low carb and have had great success with it. I started out limiting my carbs more, and the adding in more carbs slowly, as I got closer to my goal weight. SO right now I am almsot in "maintenence mode" so that it has became a way of life, way of eating, not a "diet."

Mine was more for diabetes control, after beign diagnosed with diabetes the weight loss was just a bonus.

The first thing I did was to start cutting carbs and cut out caffeinated drinks almost completely. I do not like any diet sodas except for Pepsi One and Diet Rite zero, and even those I rarely drink, now. I never liked the taste of water, so I tried the flavored waters, and found them to be disgusting tasting.

I used to be the type that had to have something falvored to drink with a meal! I started out with using unsweetened kool aid packs made with splenda, and drank that koolaid in place of soda and caffeine. I drank this with meals, and also at least a half a glass of water. The koolaid helped me with the "needing a flavored drink" thing and helped me get off the caffeine while adjusting to regular water, also. I drank the water, with each meal, too, to keep me from getting "hungry" sooner, as ewriggs mentioned in her post.
After 1-2 weeks of the koolaid and water thing, I had cut down to practically all water, and no koolaid. Shortly after that, I was down to just water. I do occasionally sip a diet soda, but its very rare. IF we go out to dinner, sometime I order one, and a glass of water. I drink the water and sip on the soda throughtou my meal...I probably ony have 2-4 sips of the soda, total. And most times I don't even order the soda.

Caffeine is a hard habit to break, and your body doesnt like not having it, so reducing it gradually is easiest for most people. I kept a major headache the first three days of going without having caffeine, but after that it was a more a taste thing than a caffeine issue.

Your tastebuds change as your "way of eating" changes. In order to lose and keep it off, whatever you decide to use as your eating plan has to became just that-A way of eating, not a diet. Thinking of it as a diet breeds a recipe for going back to your former eating habits and usually gaining the weight back. As you get used to your new way of eating, your taste buds adjust and many times you will find you no longer want those those things you used to eat, before.

It's an individual thing as far as what you can handle, what type of eating is easiest for you to stick to, what your body does best with. Try something and see how it goes. Many Many people have success with low carb/high protein or low carb/high fiber diets, and there are several other ways of eating, too. Do your research, Pick one that sounds like something you can do and give it a try. If its not for you, try another. It may take a couple tries to find what works best for you.

Exercise is going to have to be a part of any of them, so you will need to figure that into your decision.

Since I have cut down on the caffeine, alone, I feel so much better. Add to that the weight loss and benefits of the low carb diet. I havent felt this good since I draduated high school!

Good luck with whatever path you choose to try. And let us know if you need any other references to places you can go for support, eating tips, recipes, etc. There are some great weight loss, way of eating forums out there that are really helpful.

~Sammi~

[vicki2]

This winter I had a bad bout with flu and didn't feel like eating. I drank alot of a good brand of green tea (had a little jasmine in it too) with lemon and honey. I lost weight because of the flu but really started to like the hot green tea and still drink it. It's not only a good anti-oxidant but it's an appetite supressant I hear ...I believe it!

[katharina]

I started a major change to my diet and exercise routine last year. My main advice would be to take it slow. Any change you make needs to be thought of as a permanent change.

This was all great to read, and thank you for posting it! Very true, too,
especially the part about taking it slowly. Many people want to see fast
results and then don't realize that as soon as they start eating normally
again, the weight will return.

[Bilby]

I gave up many things when I decided to diet, many of them processed things. I did decide however I would not give up my 2 cups of tea and my 1 cup of coffee per day including 1 teaspoon sugar and skim milk. I squeeze my own 2 oranges if I want juice. I do not drink drinks bought in bottles, iced teas, iced coffees, juices etc. As I still drink my own tea and coffee at home this was not such a hardship, I think you have to pick something you enjoy in a day and use that as your treat or you crave it to much. In between by teas and coffees I drink lots of water with the occassional diet coke/pepsi or plain soda water. I don't miss any of what I've given up.
As to the food it is better to prepare your own and give up take aways or anything pre packaged, I gave up half my carbs quota also. It seems to work for me. I guess you just have to find what's right for you.
I lost 10kg in 3mths, 6mths ago and am happy with the weight I am and maintaining it well.
Good luck :)

[katharina]

I think you have to pick something you enjoy in a day and use that as your treat or you crave it to much. In between by teas and coffees I drink lots of water with the occassional diet coke/pepsi or plain soda water. I don't miss any of what I've given up.


I think this is an important part of dieting. I can't stomach yogurt too well (as one example) so I've never understood why a dieter who doesn't like yogurt would eat 150 calories worth of yogurt when an egg and slice of toast has the same number of calories. A diet doesn't need to be boring and disgusting. :D

[gwtw-mom]

I intro'd myself on the other thread - thanks for the suggestion.

Yummys Girl - We have the same weight goal. I started out at 180 last year at this time and have 7.8 pounds to go (to get to 130). Congrats on your weight loss!

Tammy

[Yummys_Girl]

Thanks,, Tammy! Congrats on yours, as well!!