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Old 02-11-2008, 08:54 AM   #1  
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Default Frustrated (cross posted in low carb)

So....

I'm stalled. This diet is tough and I am basically doing Atkins but adding grapefruit to it. I'm sure it's not unhealthy for me to include a fruit, but every time I drink my grody grapefruit juice I can't help but think "too many carbs in here! I'm not even getting to enjoy the carbs I eat!"

I mean, there's no way to go into ketosis, so I'm not sure what the point is of the diet. My husband is maybe down 2 lbs as well.... so maybe we're going to drop the grapefruit totally.

Or maybe we try something else. I don't know. I need something easy to follow and where I'm not going to the store to buy new ingredients all the time. It's easy for me to pick up some eggs and sausage and cheese and veggies and call it good.....

But I wonder if something else would be easier like a diet with frozen dinners or some meal bars and canned soups.... My husband has high cholesterol (not taking his meds) and I'm thinking about going to even being a vegan if it will help him. (Nutrisystem is out, but I think I could do a modifed version of it with low fat granola bars for breakfast and a lean cuisine with a veggie for lunch and dinner.)

Thoughts?

Let me also say that I don't mind eating the same thing over and over. We're very motivated here... we just don't feel very good and it doesn't seem to be working.
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Old 02-11-2008, 09:25 AM   #2  
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i can tell you this...a healthy lifestyle for weight loss isn't easy...but you have to make an effort. I personally couldn't do adkins (need some carbs), but that is me. You need to find what works for you. I will tell you that living off of frozen foods isn't a good idea either. Unless you are buying brands like Kashi (which are all natural)...most frozen foods are full of preservatives and sodium. Which isn't really healthy for you either. Healthy weight loss does require planning and prepping foods. Maybe this isn't exactly what you want to hear, but its what works for most. But maybe it is time to find a different way to loss weight. But remember...the only way you'll be able to lose weight and keep it off is to find a program that works for you permanatly. Remember, you have to find something you can do for the rest of your life. Good luck!!!!
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Old 02-11-2008, 09:25 AM   #3  
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Well, I definetly don't think the grapefruit is bad, I eat half a grapefruit every morning. I've learned you can't deprive yourself, just have to set limits and it doesn't have to be "cut one certain group out completely" just i'd say stick to 1,000 or 1,200 cals a day, maybe 30 carbs and loads of water, tea, and only 1 diet soda a day, with that you can't lose
God Bless
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Old 02-11-2008, 09:44 AM   #4  
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Hey!

What about something more along the lines of South Beach?

Most programs will work, but you have to follow them the way they have been written. Why are you adding grapefruit to Atkins?

Just for the record, Lean Cuisine does not have preservatives or trans fats. Frozen dinners are not as bad as they used to be. The technology for freezing has improved greatly.

You do not have to become Vegan because of a cholesterol problem. That's just a misunderstanding about the causes of high cholesterol. Unless your husband's family has genetic high cholesterol, then mostly the cholesterol comes from stress and high-carbs, not from eating too much cholesterol foods. Exercise is great for lowering cholesterol, btw, because it reduces stress.

For what it's worth...

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Old 02-11-2008, 09:44 AM   #5  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GatorgalstuckinGA View Post
Maybe this isn't exactly what you want to hear, but its what works for most. But maybe it is time to find a different way to loss weight. But remember...the only way you'll be able to lose weight and keep it off is to find a program that works for you permanatly. Remember, you have to find something you can do for the rest of your life. Good luck!!!!
No, it's exactly what I need to hear. That's the thing though... I need to find something I can do the rest of my life.

That's why I'm here -- to find a program that works for me. I'm just trying to be realistic about which parameters can and will work long term for my husband and I.
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Old 02-11-2008, 09:49 AM   #6  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JayEll View Post
Hey!

What about something more along the lines of South Beach?

Most programs will work, but you have to follow them the way they have been written. Why are you adding grapefruit to Atkins?

Just for the record, Lean Cuisine does not have preservatives or trans fats. Frozen dinners are not as bad as they used to be. The technology for freezing has improved greatly.

You do not have to become Vegan because of a cholesterol problem. That's just a misunderstanding about the causes of high cholesterol. Unless your husband's family has genetic high cholesterol, then mostly the cholesterol comes from stress and high-carbs, not from eating too much cholesterol foods. Exercise is great for lowering cholesterol, btw, because it reduces stress.

For what it's worth...

Jay
Hi

The diet I'm on is called the grapefruit diet. Also called the New Mayo diet. It's basically Atkins with a 1/2 grapefruit or 1 c grapefruit juice w/ each meal.

My husband does have a history of cholesterol problems in his family, but you're right that it more likely has to do with his eating habits over a period of time.

Back in college, I was poor and I would have a glass of skim milk for lunch every day with a piece of toasted fat free bread and a Lean Cuisine type of meal. (Budget Gourmet Light and Healthy if they still make those!) and I did a lot of walking. Maybe I need to go back to something like that!

I could throw in a fruit and some healthy carb like kashi cereal for breakfast (or those yummy TLC bars) and for dinner maybe a chicken breast and a veggie and another piece of FF bread.

I wonder what that would come out to calorie wise?

Last edited by grapefruitisgrody; 02-11-2008 at 09:50 AM.
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Old 02-11-2008, 09:55 AM   #7  
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Quote:
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You do not have to become Vegan because of a cholesterol problem.
I've never seen it NOT help (dramatically) though, provided it was a whole foods balanced diet.
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Old 02-11-2008, 10:20 AM   #8  
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I would agree, a whole foods vegan diet would cause a drop in cholesterol but I'd also say that you do have to follow a plan that is workable for you.

I eat tons of fruit and veggies and no animal proteins. My husband's cholesterol (which wasn't high to start) dropped quite a few points in less than a month of following a vegan whole foods diet.

You do have to find a lifestyle change that works for you. I really like meal plans that include a lot of fruits, veggies, legumes and other whole foods. Although I will say that it took me a while to build my own lifestyle change and didn't happen completely overnight. Sometimes it does take a bit tweaking here or there to get where you need to be to lose weight and be healthy.
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Old 02-11-2008, 10:29 AM   #9  
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I'm going to second the prevailing thought that you need to find a diet that works for you. I would also like to add that you do not need to do something that dramatic to lose weight. Most of us pile on the pounds unconsciously...100 extra calories one day 200 another and next thing you know your up 30 pounds. A similar philosopy can be applied to weight loss. Simply eating 300 fewer calories per day than you need and increasing exercise by 200 calories (roughly walking 2 miles) will cause you to loose a pound per week..over the course of a year this would be 50 pounds. A few simple changes, that you maintain, rather than something fast and dramatic (that is impossible to sustain) will have better results.

I would advise you to focus on changes that are going to be realistic to maintain.
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Old 02-11-2008, 12:23 PM   #10  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by grapefruitisgrody View Post
No, it's exactly what I need to hear. That's the thing though... I need to find something I can do the rest of my life.

That's why I'm here -- to find a program that works for me. I'm just trying to be realistic about which parameters can and will work long term for my husband and I.

If you want to find something that you can do for the rest of your life, do you feel what you are doing now is working for you in that way. I was on Atkins and its not something that I would want to do for the rest of my life because it would deprive me of so many foods that I enjoyed eating and then I would break diet and binge. Calorie counting works for me and I can honestly say I think that its something that I can do for the rest of my life. But its something that works for me, I don't know if it will work for you the same way.
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Old 02-11-2008, 12:35 PM   #11  
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I had some trouble with nausia and constipation when I dropped the carbs below 25. I adjusted the diet a bit to add a very high fiber all bran cereal and 1-2 servings of fruit and one of yogurt a day. I did not eat cheese when I was very low carb. The adjustments resolved the problems but slowed down the weight loss so I'm still fiddling with things.
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Old 02-11-2008, 12:37 PM   #12  
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You might just go to your library and check out some books on nutrition and weight loss, speed read through them, read this site for ideas and figure out by trial and error what works for you if you are just getting started. The weight gain came from poor eating habits, so go through your kitchen and throw out the junk food and start clean. Go to the store and buy fresh veggies, fruit and whole wheat breads, plus chicken, turkey and lowfat milk/cheese. Personally I don't think the low carb diets and quick diets are that healthy and you want to make changes for life.
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Old 02-11-2008, 01:37 PM   #13  
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I think a difficult part of this diet as opposed to dieting several years ago is that now I have to take 2 people (me and my DH) into account for meals. back then, we weren't married yet and he was still a vegetarian. (More of a cheese-atarian. )

Now I have to find things that make sense for both of us, can be transported easily to his work... and that he *likes* because honestly he's an incredibly picky eater when it comes to texture. (He hates things like bananas, tomatoes, avocados, cantaloupes, olives, pineapple, cucumbers.... they are all somewhat mushy.)

BTW, there was someone that was angry about how Atkins now computes their net carbs on their foods and holy cow! The math they use doesn't make a bit of sense.



Thanks everyone. I'm stuck on Atkins for now.
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Old 02-11-2008, 03:17 PM   #14  
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Hi,

I'm curious, do you even like the foods you are eating now? Do you like the grapefruit juice so much that you decided, "I can't give this up - I want to follow a diet built around it." If you find grapefruit juice disgusting (is that what grody means?), then you are on the wrong "diet".

You sound like you are motivated, I think now you need to buckle down and learn a little about nutrition. The diet that JayEll mentioned, South Beach Diet, might work for you. It is a lower carb and there are some convenience foods available if that is important to you. Go to the library and get a book or two. Maybe "You on a Diet" or the South Beach Diet book. Keep posting!


Edited to add: Okay, Here's some information on the grapefruit diet here. It really doesn't sound like a very realistic or even healthy way to lose weight. Yikes! I do believe that Atkins, when done by the book, can be healthy. But I don't think I could do it for life, so it wasn't really an option for me. Good luck to you.
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