Okay so I am trying to figure out which is the best plan for me to follow. I feel like counting calories is the easiest but I wanted to know what others experiences were? So if you could tell me your plan, your results, and how you did it I would greatly appreciate it.
I am really freaking out about finding something that I can do and seriously lose this weight. 23lbs that I need to lose is baby weight from my daughter who is already 1, that weight should have been long gone. I am also starting College in about two weeks. I am going to school to be a teacher and I want to be confident and I feel that this fat suit I am wearing is really putting a damper on who I really am and could be if I wasn't fat. I also need to lose weight because I plan on extending our family in 3-5 years and I do not want to get pregnant at 240lbs and gain an additional 30 lbs and then be even farther from my goal.
I have tried Atkins and it just doesn't work. I lose the weight but I just can't stick too it. I did it for a month in May and lost about 15lbs gained about 10 back and starting counting calories about two weeks ago and I have lost about 4-5lbs. Which is good and seems like a decent pace, I'm in no rush to lose it to quickly though I would like it gone by the time I graduate college lol, I am not looking for a quick fix. I have seriously tought about Lap Band but I can't bring myself to do it for one, and two I think it's kinda selfish for me because with anything there is a risk and I have a 1 yr old and I just don't feel it's really worth all that.
I totally understand the baby weight thing. I just got back to my pre-baby weight. I lost mine on WW, which I do at home (I'm not really the meetings type). It took from April 7, 2008 and I got back to my weight on July 4, 2008. I cheated more than a few times, but am an avid walker/jogger/softball player. Check my 3FC blog for more info about my history. I couldn't do the low carb thing either. WW has been wonderful, and I feel better than I have in years. I'm not a doctor, but I totally think you could lose your baby weight by calorie counting or WW or whatever dieting route you choose to go. I hate that word, "dieting." I would love to support you in any way I can. If you have any questions, feel free to ask anyone here, including me. They are all great. I wish you happy losing!
I'm counting calories with an emphasis on whole foods and no "white foods" (rice, pasta, potatoes, sugar). I don't know what I've lost because my scale apparently is insane but I'm down two pants sizes so calorie counting seems to be working for me. And the folks over in the calorie counting forums sure have been helpful (although I'm sure that is true everywhere on this site!).
Different plans work for different people so you may have to experiment a bit to find the right mix for you. South Beach works well for me. I would say SB is a good fit if:
You LOVE or are willing to eat lots of veggies.
You don't mind cooking (avoid processed/prepared foods)
You are willing to plan ahead
You have issues with sugar or starchy foods (cravings that you want to get under control)
You want a plan with an emphasis on health and whole foods
There is a learning curve when starting SB, but once you have the basic rules down, it's nice to not have to bother with counting calories or points, or weighing or measuring my food. It becomes very easy. Contrary to the impression that a lot of people seem to have, SB is NOT low-carb or low-fat, but requires whole grains and healthy fats. It does not require you to give up fruit or bread, and you are allowed occasional treats. I eat dark chocolate once a week. Lots of people seem to lump Atkins and SB together, however I don't believe they are that similar. BUT, I have no experience with Atkins and don't really know the plan, so don't want to say any more in case of mis-information.
One really nice thing about SB is, if you are cooking for a family, then the food is just normal healthy food, and everybody can eat the same meal. I don't cook "special" food for me, but I may throw in some potatoes or corn for the kids that I will not eat.
If you want to be able to allow for more treats, take advantage of frozen meals and prepared foods, then I think calorie counting or WW is probably a good idea, but I'm sure others will be able to give good information about that.
So, for my results, I've been on SB for 14 months and lost 65 lbs., 35 to go that I hope to have lost by next May. After that, I will be able to stay on SB and continue my eating plan to maintain the weight loss. I hate that word "dieting" too and refuse to use it, this is just the way I eat now. If you decide you want to check out SB, there is a very active SB forum on this board.
After losing (and regaining) a ton of weight on Atkins, repeating my experience on Optifast, I'm doing "mindful eating". I dont count calories specifically or elimininate anything in particular. I do concentrate on eating slowly and stopping when I am full, eating breakfast, and trying to minimize "whites" (non-whole grain bread, potatoes, and sugar.) I find that the longer I am eating this way the more it is becoming a way of life. I get full sooner, crave sweets and chips less. I often end my meals out (we are big restaurant diners) with a cup of sweetened hot tea...it serves as a sweet alternative to dessert.
One of the things that really helped me was for my doctor to say that my goal should be two pounds a month, no more. It seemed doable and relieved the pressure I put on myself to get crazy and try to lose massive amounts of weight quickly. (I have lost more than two pounds every month since I have started about four months ago.)
If you are having success sticking with calorie counting, then continue to do so. 4-5 pounds in 2 weeks is great!
I think what you really need to do is focus on preplanning your days. You are going to be busy in school, so you will need portable easy meal ideas. I would sit down on the weekend and plan out what you are going to eat during the week. Have 2-3 staple meals that you rotate in. That way you don't have to think to much, just grab and go.
I'm doing the Flex plan with WW....it's kind of like calorie counting With exercise you can see what I've done since May! I do admit I'm sort of addicted to exercising and with 3 wild small children plus running a business it's hard to fit it in but I do it.
Good luck with finding something that will work for you!
Thanks I appreciate all the feed back. I think I am going to stick with Calorie counting it really does seem the easiest to follow, and I feel it can be more of a life style change, it's alot about portion.
I am joining this challenge at work in our gym called the IronMan Competition. It's a 7 week program where we have to do so many miles running/walking, rowing, biking, and weights. They measure you and weigh you before it begins and they split people up into teams with different personal trainers. They say they gaurantee results and the winner who completes it first and loses the most weight/inches wins a prize. They haven't said what the prize is though, so this competition is getting me really motivated though. I wish I knew some place around locally who wanted to do like a biggest Loser contest. It just seems like I have a lot more motivation when I am competing with someone.
When I was in high School I lost about 40lbs that was a big competition between my family. Who ever lost the most weight got $100 AND that was in high school when I didn't have a job so 100.00 was alot lol.
Congrats on starting school! I'm starting again too and I'm worried about how I'm going to deal with school and eating healthy/getting my exercise in. I am also on the WW Flex Plan and I think it's really helpful. It's taught me about proper portion sizes as well as finding foods that are good for me and fill me up. I don't go to meetings, but my mom is doing it with me and we weigh-in together (She's a lifetime member and has all the goodies and knows how to do it! LOL) It's good to have someone to be accountable to, no matter what plan you're following.
Good luck with school and finding a plan! You can do it!
Which ONE?!
With exercise you can see what I've done since May! I do admit I'm sort of addicted to exercising and with 3 wild small children plus running a business it's hard to fit it in but I do it.
