100 lb. Club - Looking for a change in diet, suggestions please

I have lost 25ish lbs since April 22 but have not lost a pound in the last 2 weeks which is frustrating. I know I will drop eventually but I am looking for a boost.

I have been reading a diet book my 21 yr old daughter brought home, it's called, and I am not kidding, "Skinny Bi!$ch". They advocate eating clean, no diary, no fake sugar etc. I don't think I can eat a non diary diet and I am not sure that dairy is the evil they profess it to be. Not ready to drink soy milk yet, give up the little bit of cheese in my life and yogurt.

But, I am interested in adding more fruit and veggies. Lean protein.

Here is what I have been eating, do you see a problem?

Steel cut oatmeal, Kashi cereal, splenda or a bananna, coffee with 1 T creamer and splenda
Subway turkey, provolone, veggie, with light mayo sub or lean cuisine
Lean cuisine or something grilled.
a few 100 calorie snacks or diet pudding with fruit and cool whip free
water, about 6 cups with Crystal Light, one diet coke. I used to only drink diet coke, zero water.

I stay under 25 WW point which is about 1,250 calories.

Exercise- not doing much here. I walk about a mile at work to the fax and back but I don't think that counts. I am starting to ride my bike but would like to be smaller before I join my husband on long rides wearing spandex shorts!

Thanks for any tips! :hug:

Hello HocusPocus!
Congratulations on your weight loss so far!!!!!! The advise I have to offer is pretty basic. Weight loss relies on more than just diet. You NEED to exercise. You NEED to incorporate some cardio training as well as resistance or weight training. It doesn't have to be hard core. Walking is by far the best method to start with. Go out today for a walk, time and measure how far you went. Tomorrow, go a little bit longer, a little bit farther. Heck, bring hubby along, walking and talking is great romantic therapy.

Good luck getting past your plateau. Don't give up!

well...you're doing well so far!

I have started doing a pritikin type plan.....I feel really comfortable with it because I CAN STILL EAT!!

AND.....it seems to be working...I have more energy...and my skin looks GREAT!!

I honestly think that this will be the way I eat from now on...I didn't even know I liked veggies so much!!

I have tweaked it a bit....I use whey protein alot....otherwise I would not get enough protein without adding too much fat....plus I don't eat meat everyday...

and as I mentioned in another post, I make full use of extremely low to zero calorie foods.....I have a list of favorites....(which sounds like a NEW THREAD!)

I eat TONS of veggies...and I add very little fat because I roast them or I saute with broth.....the fats I DO add are small amounts of olive oil and flax oil...

and of course fruits....

complete whole grains....like brown rice....all bran.....Ezekiel breads.....but in small amounts....

fat free veggie soup is a staple here....I make it with tomato base and whatever sounds good....

check out Pritikin...you can make adjustments to suit your palate, and you can use their recipes too...and its CHEAP...lots of produce...

and of course EXERCISE!!

Congrats on your loss! 25 pounds is fantastic. :)

I would take a look at your sodium intake. Also, is the WW point level for your weight 25? I thought it was higher than that. Are you eating your flex points? You might try that, too. DO NOT restrict on WW Points--it's already a lower calorie plan. You don't need to restrict something that is already restricted!

:cp: GREAT job on your weight loss so far!

It looks like you aren't eating many calories for your size (if you are eating 1,200). Also, I would eat many more vegetables and some fruit.

If you enjoy eating the 100 calorie packs and the "faux-foods", go for it! Personally, I don't eat any of those things.

Perhaps you can start to incorporate more real foods, whole foods and some of the principles from the "Skinny *****" book and eat a cleaner diet, as nothing beats real, wholesome, natural food ;)

And it sucks!

It's interesting that you mention that book. I was in a book store before I started my most recent serious attempt to lose weight, and I picked up the book and looked at the back of it. It promised that if you can stick out two months on a changed eating style, you could do it for the rest of your life. I don't think that's so true anymore, though I do believe the third month will be much easier than the first month was, but it was inspirational enough for me to try it. Didn't buy the book, though (just cheap!).

As for dairy, I've never been able to figure out why humans would be the only animal species that needed the milk from another species to be healthy, especially because even cows don't drink cows' milk past the first few years of life. Multiple studies (those not funded by the dairy industry, anyway) establish that dairy is not a necessary part of our diets, so the only reason it seems so radical is because the dairy industry has such an effective and powerful lobby. But I am not as radical as they are either. Though I include very little dairy in my diet (maybe once a month), I believe that you can be healthy and have dairy. For information on diets similar to the "Skinny" diet you mention, you can Google the Physicians' Council on Responsible Medicine, Dr. John McDougall, Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Neal Barnard, Nathan Pritikin, and others. It's interesting reading. Mary Lou Henner is also an advocate of a vegan diet.

I have been following the McDougall diet, though I count calories as well (something he does not advocate). Now that I have found that I am gaining instead of losing, though, I am looking to try something different, but similar. I am pretty sure that I'm just retaining water because of a new strength training routine, but the obsessive voice in my head tells me that I need to DO something, not just hope that it gets better. I am going to the library today to look for a copy of the Fat Smash Diet used on Celebrity Fit Camp - those celebrities regularly lost 4 or more pounds per week! I'd be interested in hearing about anyone with experience with that.

I may also do a two or three day colon cleanse fast. I've done it before, and it makes me feel really good and insightful and clear. I worry, because I don't want to teach my body that I am trying to starve it, but I really want to jump start the weight loss again, and I've really liked doing this in the past. However, I am not supposed to exercise while doing it, and I've really enjoyed developing the exercise habit as well.

Sorry. This has been more about me than you. Plateaus do strange things to our minds, eh? Hope some of my rambling thoughts are a bit helpful, though...

As for dairy, I've never been able to figure out why humans would be the only animal species that needed the milk from another species to be healthy, especially because even cows don't drink cows' milk past the first few years of life. Multiple studies (those not funded by the dairy industry, anyway) establish that dairy is not a necessary part of our diets, so the only reason it seems so radical is because the dairy industry has such an effective and powerful lobby.
:carrot: :bravo: :broc:

btw...I use Almond Breeze unsweetened for many of my dairy needs...it's brimming with calcium and vitamin e...only 40 calories....and it tastes way better than soy....I love the chocolate...I sweeten it myself and it tastes almost like a yoohoo...only better....I use the regular or vanilla for cereal and smoothies...AND even tho I AM a milk lover... I really love this stuff!

I also use Galaxy foods Veggie Slices....it's a soy cheese that tastes good AND MELTS...it comes in several different flavors....American, mozzarella, provolone, pepper jack etc.....and it has about 35 cal per slice....

Aw, but cheese is soooo goood! :cheese: WHINE.

Anyway. Looking at your diet, it seems a bit low in protien in the morning. I find that helps immensely. I don't eat meat, but I do eat eggs, boca sausages, and kashi cereal (not all at once, lol!)

Also, yeah, you do have to start exercising regularly now. :^: It's gotta be done. Start with walking--no bike shorts needed lol!

Lynn

btw...I use Almond Breeze unsweetened for many of my dairy needs...it's brimming with calcium and vitamin e...only 40 calories....and it tastes way better than soy....I love the chocolate...I sweeten it myself and it tastes almost like a yoohoo...only better....I use the regular or vanilla for cereal and smoothies...AND even tho I AM a milk lover... I really love this stuff!

I also use Galaxy foods Veggie Slices....it's a soy cheese that tastes good AND MELTS...it comes in several different flavors....American, mozzarella, provolone, pepper jack etc.....and it has about 35 cal per slice....
I love Almond Breeze too but wish it had more protein.

You eat the VEGGIE cheeses, right? Sadly, the Galaxy Foods VEGAN cheeses are NASTY :(

cheese IS good (mmmm....brie.....) BUT I am not responsible with cheese....:dizzy:

Also, is the WW point level for your weight 25? I thought it was higher than that. Are you eating your flex points? You might try that, too. DO NOT restrict on WW Points--it's already a lower calorie plan. You don't need to restrict something that is already restricted!

I agree here. When I began my journey, I was following WW and counting point. The range for me at 263 pounds, was 26-30. My weight loss stalled and that prompted me to re-evaluate what I was eating. I began counting calories and eating more fruit and veggies. I eat between 1600 and 1900 calories and have been steadily losing.
I eat boneless, skinless chicken breast and salmon the most. Never deep fried either. ;) Add some veggies to dinner and replace a snack with some fruit. I keep cool whip lite and sugar free jello in my fridge for treats too.
Add some exercise too. Walk whenever you can, it becomes addictive! And more water! Its calorie free and good for you.

Next time you are at Subway, try getting your choice of sub in a salad. Lots of good yummy veggies and the meat will add protein. You are in control of the dressing too. Subway has a nutrition guide to their food that you should get too. It was an eye opener for me..my fave sub the Club, has 1290 mg of sodium! So I switched to the oven roasted chicken breast salad with 390 mg of sodium. The sandwich has 830 mg of sodium.

You've done great losing weight so far. Tweak your diet some until you are happy with what you are eating! :hug:

yes...I forgot to mention it, but I am also using a food journal...it really helps....I didn't realize how many calories I ate that I didn't "know about".

According to Winning Points, you should be at 26-31 points right now. Looks like you should try eating at the top of your points for awhile and see how that goes. If you quit losing after awhile, drop a couple of points.

Thanks for all of your help! I love this site.

Eat more sounds odd. I know it makes sense but it's odd. I started to plateau when I caught a cold and lost my appetite. I brought home a lot of veggies and fruit today. My biggest problem is I hate to cook, lazy in the kitchen.

I count my points on a beaded bracelet and it has been working great. I have not gone over 25 points so will try to go up. I have a lot of diet plans to research, thanks.

Walking. It takes so long, I think I'll try to bike to work instead. My husband bikes 12 miles each AM and 40 on weekends. I can't keep up with him but I can ride with my friend to work. It's about 2.5 miles each way. My motto has always been, "l'd rather starve to death than exercise" but that doesn't seem to be working!

HocusPocus:

How did you get 25 pts? Was it based on the TurnAround formula? Then maybe 25 would be a good MINIMUM for you, but otherwise stick to 26. DO EAT all the rest of your points, regardless (For winning points, an average of 31 pts daily). The more you can eat now, the more points you will be able to maintain with at goal. When you don't eat, you just slow your metabolism. I know, sounds illogical. You need to eat extra cals just to burn fat, though. :)

Did you ever officially join WW?
Do you know how to calculate exercise points?

HocusPocus, I know you probably don't want to hear this, but if you would incorporate some exercise into your day I think that would probably make all the difference in the world.

Congratulations on the 25 lbs. That's AWESOME. I think though your initial loss without exercise may be coming to a halt or a drastic slow down. It does happen eventually. Find things that you enjoy. If you don't like walking - don't walk. There are tons of fitness dvd's out on the market. Why not give some a try? I LOVE to dance. It's great exercise and the time goes quickly. How about swimming or biking? Or a mix of things? It's also essential to add in some strength training. Really, for LONGTERM weightloss, exercise is essential. It can really be the boost your "diet" needs.

I would definitely add in some more protein and fiber as well. Those 100 calorie packs are really devoid of any nutrients. Maybe you could try to limit them to just once a week or so. It's worth a shot.

Good luck. :)

I have been a member of WW more than a few times. lol I actually got within 15 lbs of goal once. It's fun to look back and see how long I went, I saved the books. Maintenance is much harder than losing it. I lowered my points so that I would lose faster but that's not good I see.

It's so hot outside, workout dvds are a good idea. What I'd really like is Dance Dance Revolution but my daughters think that is a bad idea. I was in Best Buy with them and it was on and they caught me trying it out in the middle of the store. They were not amused. They are teens, I am supposed to embarrass them! It's part of the fun.

R Robin, I read your story when I need inspiration. Thanks for sharing it.

Hey Hocus,

I'm with the others--increase your food intake and I bet you'll keep losing. And exercise--the E word--uh huh. I think if you like Dance Dance Revolution and it gets you up and moving and groovin', then go for it!

I have an awesome belly dance workout DVD. It's not bizarre in any way, but it really works muscles that I didn't know I ever had! And it's fun, fun, fun. I also like pilates. I find it very relaxing. My staples are a recumbant bike and elliptical--both of which I have at home, but I can become easily bored with them and need something else.

The biggest thing is to keep on plan and you will break through the plateau--eventually. But I'm all for adding a bit more to your diet.

Excited for you!

Bree