[kaplods]

I've had a lot of experience with meal replacements, and while I think they can be helpful in some circumstances, I think they're inappropriate as a regular part of a very low calorie diet not being conducted under medical supervision, especially for a normal weight person under age 20. They just aren't nutritional powerhouses. Most are very high in sugar, and while fortified with some vitamins and minerals, do not replace the nutrients in fresh fruits and vegetables.

I think most people are under the impression that meal replacements are "scientifically designed" to be nutritious and balanced, so that they really can replace healthy balanced meals, but that rarely is truly the case. If you generally skip breakfast, a meal replacement shake or bar like slim fast is probably better than nothing, but it is still the "junk food" of "health foods." It isn't going to make up for a lack of REAL food in the diet.

[Heather]

Originally Posted by sweetlovin

I guess I realized what I was doing really isn't anything different from what all you guys were doing when you were my age. And no offense in anyway, but it didn't seem to work out for any of you so why would it work for me?

I loved what you said here, cause it's so true!

It sounds like you're really seeking out advice and information and willing to listen. Of course the tough part is that a lot of advice can conflict... I think ultimately, finding a system that works for you and your circumstances may take time (and will evolve over time), but will be worth it for your life and your health!

[aphil]

FYI-

The *old* ads for Slim-Fast were the ones that said a shake for breakfast and lunch, and have a healthy dinner. Slim Fast reformulated their products a few years ago, lessening the sugar, increasing the protein, and changed the entire plan to what is now called "Optima". It is no longer the 2 shakes and one meal. There are snacks included (which are your choice, calorie counted-and they suggest fruit, veggies, popcorn, etc.) and one of the meals (breakfast or lunch) you also have something along with the Slim-Fast-I believe 150 calories of another food along with it.

The plan has basically changed to more of a calorie counting one...so it isn't like the old plan that was around in the 80's and 90's. The ads have changed, and the packaging, reflecting the new (healthier) plan.

So, it DOES do a lot more in teaching calorie counting, healthier choices, etc. than the 80's version.

I don't want to debate the plan, because that is off topic, but I just wanted to clarify that the plan, commercials, and product from the 80's and 90's HAS been changed.

Back to the original topic at hand...

[dgramie]

I am one who has lost 90lbs drinking slimfast...I gained it all back. I had snacks with my slimfast. I got so tired of them I couldnt stand the thought of drinking one. I stopped drinking htem and gained it all back.
I now am counting calories...I do from time to time grab a slimfast but not daily or weekly. I do feel slimfast is an ok product. I just know if I dont count calories and eat real food I will not be able to mantain weight loss.
Slim fast does have an awesome website to help you keep track of weight and food and exercise.
I feel slimfast can be used as part of a healthy eating plan...but I know for me it was a quick meal and I need to make healthy choices.I am eating real food this time and I have lost 27lbs in 10 weeks. It may take me longer but this is the last time I will ever have this much weight to loose. I want to be able to keep it off.

[Rocker Chick]

Has anyone even mentioned the fact that Slimfast has aspartame in it? That in itself should make you say "NO WAY!" to it. Aspartame is 200x sweeter than sugar and increases your cravings for sweets, amoung other things. Talk about UNHEALTHY!

[rockstar87]

Originally Posted by sweetlovin

I raised my calorie goal to 1400-1500 and I decided to make my weight goal 135 pounds. I might even stop at 140. It depends on the amount of muscle I have once I reach each weight.

I need to start cutting down on my carbohydrates though! I put my calories on My daily plate and 50-60 percent of what I eat is carbs! I knew it was a problem but geez! That's definitely going to be my goal the next few days. cut down carbs, exercise even more, and eat more vegetable. We will see how it goes. It's been tough though.

140 sounds like a much better goal for you I still might argue it's a little low, but it's great that you're doing weight training and focusing on toning. My goal used to be 125/130 and I think once you see muscles starting to come in and start to LIKE it you don't mind weighing so much. It sounds like you want to get toned and that's awesome. Keep working out with weights! It's a great way to balance out your body shape as well as drop weight.

Carbs aren't bad if you are eating the RIGHT carbs and staying within your calories. Stay away from processed stuff. Now, with that, you ARE weight training and if your carbs are high it probably means your protein is lacking. I have other reasons for needing to watch my carb intake too, but I definitely feel less hungry after an intense workout if I go for some cottage cheese than if I eat...like cereal or something. Plus, you need it to build muscle. I just don't want you to get too hung up on the "carbs" thing. Starting to learn about nutrition is hard enough and there are so many conflicting views and you need to find something that works for you. Try to focus on your calories and make healthier choices and you can worry about the other stuff as you get more comfortable with what you're doing.

You sound like you're doing well. I know it's tough and overwhelming (especially as a teenager - so kudos to you for trying to do this the "right" way) but it DOES get easier. Promise.

[sweetlovin]

^thanks for the advice again. yeah I'll try not to focus on carbs so much, but I think it definitely is something I need to work on. I know carbs is one thing that had prob. contributed to my weight gain.

Today I binged on food a bit. Idk what happen. I just ate something and then I threw up and then I was starvinggg and I ate like 2 plates of pasta and oatmeal. I was doing so well too. Now I feel like throwing up again except I didn't really make myself throw up. I have acid reflux. idk, I think I may be lying to myself. When I mess up like this, I tend to "magically" throw up. My stomach is sensitive and by pushing my abs tightly, I manage to make food come up. It's hard to explain but I always have had this problem. It's something I've been thinking might be more then the normal acid reflux but I dont want to worry about it. I don't think I'm turning bulimic or anything like that. Just a once in a while thing.


It's sooo tempting for me to want to go on a water fast and lose the weight really quickly. I keep telling myself that it would help me control my cravings and jumpstart my weight loss but Idk. Im still thinking about it tbh. I went on this website and this health lady loss 12 pounds in 4 days. I just know how committed I am to this, and that tempts me so much because I know how losing 12 pounds that fast would motivate me to keep eating healthy.

(http://howtothinkthin.com/blog/)

Ah I know this isn't what you guys want to hear from me, but after having a bad day, I usually beat myself out about it. After dealing with an eating disorder for 2 years, it's really hard for me not to think like this. I KNOW how easy it would be to drop like 30 pounds in 2 monthes.


Anyway I desperately running out of healthy food in the house. The next time I go to the grocer, I'm picking up about 10 bags of frozen vegetables, skinless chicken, lots of soup, andd some skim milk. Maybe some healthy snacks like Rice cakes, nuts, and pea butter (found that on this site)


Ah the thing that sucks is eat like this makes it hard for me to want to work out tommorrow morning and it screws me up so bad.


I just NEED to keep counting my calories. When I was doing it last week, I kept my range perfect. I kind of slacked off with the counting and I am already screwed. That's why I know that calorie counting is the only thing that will keep me on charts. It's the only thing that keeps me in control.


I'm suppose to get my period by now. I think that may be affecting my eating pattern. Who knows.

[Hat Trick]

Sweetlovin' -- sometimes one of the hardest things about starting all this is trying to figure out what to eat. It's really easy to get stuck in the 'same old thing' rut. I'm always looking for new recipes and foods to add to my collection. You said that b-fast was usually on the run and I think you're a junior in H.S.? so lunch has to be portable. Here's a list of foods that you can 'mix and match' that are healthy,filling and can easily fit into your calorie counting. I've never been one that thought 'eggs are for bfast and chicken is for dinner'; in my book anything can be eaten at anytime if it fits the bill. BTW, I do all my grocery shopping at Giant so I don't know if some of these brands are available in all grocery stores or not. The italicized word is the brand name.

Breads/Grains/Cereals:

Arnold Bakery Light Whole Wheat Bread - 40 cals per slice, 5 g fiber, 5 g protein.
Kangaroo 100% whole wheat pita pockets - 80 cals per pocket, 4 g fiber, 3 g protein
LaTortilla Factory Smart & Delicious tortillas - 80 cals per wrap (they're the BIG ones too), 12g fiber, 8 g protein. These are my favs, I eat them all the time.
Wheat Thins - most any variety is 130 cals per serving (13-15 crackers), 2g fiber, 2g protein
Total Cranberry Crunch - 190 cals per 1 1/4 cup serving, 4g fiber, 4g protein.
Kellog's Smart Start Cinnamon Raisin - 180 cals per 1 cup serving, 4g fiber, 5 g protein.
Oatmeal - don't buy those prepackaged ones. Full of sugar. The less processing they do to the oats the better they are for you. Steelcut oats are good but may take a little longer to cook. I use Quaker old-fashioned oats (I follow the prep directions on the box) and add a little brown suger, raisins, sometimes walnuts and I use 2% milk. Oatmeal is pretty carby so I try to add in more protein w/the milk and sometimes a cheesestick on the side. Or an egg-white or two, scrambled.

Protein:

Lunch meat - deli turkey, chicken, ham (I like smoked ham too even though it is salty; I drink lots of water if I have it) and roast beef, tuna. All good sources of protein.
Veggies strips - these are in the refridgerated section of the organic/health food aisle. They are made from soy protein and some are flavored. I like the 'chicken' ones but they may be an aquired taste.
Perdue Chicken Short Cuts - these are pricey but they are a lifesaver for me. I usually buy many of them when they are on sale (this week at Giant there are a buy-on-get-one-free) then just freeze them. Very versitle and very tasty.
Cottage cheese - ok, I don't really like cottage cheese, at least not the low fat kind but it is very good for you, loaded w/protein and portable. I found one way I like it -- mixed up w/chopped apple, handful of raisins, handful of chopped walnuts and some cinnamon (ooo, not too much cause cinnamon can get hot). Very, very tasty and filling.
Eggs- The incredible, edible egg.
Peanutbutter - Higher in fat but 1 tblspn can go a long way both in taste and 'staying with you'.

Fats/Dairy:

I know alot of people will only do low fat but I personally find that some fat really, really keeps me satisfied longer and keeps me from overeating later on. Sometimes I don't use the lowfat cheeses for this reason.

Cheese - I love cheese. There, I said it. I use shredded sharp cheddar on things like wraps or salads but usually only 1 - 1 1/2 tblspn. I use shredded mozerlla too. I use American cheese (1/2 oz.) w/my scrambled eggs.
Milk - drink your milk! I like milk and usually drink skim milk but I like my milk with specific milk-friends --- like Oreos and chocolate cake! So recently I've been not drinking it. But I do use 2% on my cereal and have found that it keeps me fuller longer than when I use skim milk. I guess it's the fat and I'm ok w/the extra 50 cals in the 2% if it keeps me from overeating later on.
Yogurt - so many kinds. Most are all lowfat so I guess cals is what to watch out for here.

Fruits/Veggies/Fiber
Any and all, the more the merrier! Mix 'em up, cook 'em, eat 'em raw, and mostly -- try different ones.
Refried beans - read the lables on these as they seem to differ a bit.
Hot air popped corn is a great lowcal, high fiber snack, esp. w/a cheesestick or other source of protein.

You said bfast was usually on the go, so here are a few ideas that may help ya out.

Cereal - pack a serving in a plastic baggie, grab a banana and pour some milk into a washed-out water bottle.
Oatmeal - make it and put it in a disposable coffee cup.
Peanut butter and banana - toast some whole wheat bread, 1 tblspn pbutter and 1 (or 1/2) banana, presto - bfast sammie. Add some milk, good to go.
Eggs - I always have my eggs w/some veggies thrown in. Zucchini (slice and season and cook for a few mins b/4 you put the eggs in), mushrooms, leftover asparagus or broccoli. You can cook this up pretty fast in the a.m. then throw it all into a whole wheat pita. Same goes for egg salad; use light mayo and add lots of lettuce/toms to the pita or bread.
Wraps - You can cook up a batch of onions, peppers -- anything you love really -- the night b/4, seasoned to your liking and the next day combine them w/lunch meats or those chicken short cuts. Or you could mix some taco seasoning and a little taco sacue in w/some refried beans, add some lowfat sour cream and salsa -- wrap it up and go.

Once in awhile I am just too short on time to really have or make anything, so I have protein bars on hand. I don't eat them all the time but I do think they have their place. Balance Bars are around 200 cals and have 14/15 grams of protein. There are so many different ones, just try to get the ones that are higher in protein (w/out tons of cals) and have some milk and fruit w/it. Better than no meal or something you shouldn't eat.

Slimfast -- wow, that sure generated alot of different responses! (Aphil - thanks for updating us on the 'new and improved Slimfast'. I noticed the ads were different but never checked out the prodcut, per say.) My own take on it? Seems like Slimfast is trying to reposition itself in the market to compete w/the 'on the go protein bars' type of products. As with those, once in a while can really fit into your plan but not as a steady day-in-day-out thing.

Your recent post sounds as if you are really trying, but maybe having a hard time? Please don't fall into the 'lose a million lbs in the blink of an eye' hype. Whatever you lose will likely just come back 'with friends' when you go off it. Aim for a plan that you can live with for the rest of your life, not just for a 'time' so you can 'lose weight fast'. Most of us have been there, done that -- - and look where we are now, right back at the battle of the bulge, again. Give your body what it needs and it will give you back much, much more.

I noticed you upped your daily cals -- yeah for you! That 1200 #? I always thought that because you weren't suppose to eat below 1200 cals that you weren't suppose to eat above 1200 cals either. Nope! Here's alink for guidelines on how many cals per day to eat based on age/sex/wt/ht/exercise. http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

One last thing -- KUDOS to you for incorporating exercise into your life. I was twice your age b/4 I 'discovered' it. Keep it up, it's great.

*Sorry this is so long, was just trying to throw out some ideas for SL.

[kaplods]

It's a cool idea, but be careful with that calculator. When I put in my stats, the calories it told me I should have to lose weight were higher than those to maintain it. I thought I was reading it wrong, so I changed my weight and the answers made more sense. It's possible that the calculator can't take into account very high body weights.

[the slim me]

Hey Sweet, Don't want it to sound like I'm picking on you or anything. Taht you don't need. But i admire you staying on your calorie count. But I have to agree with everyone else here. A calorie is a calorie......but, there are good calories and there are bad calories. And eating healthy should be a goal too. You don't have to change a lot. Whole grain bread will fill you up and stay with you longer. Frozen vegetables are great. They have almost as much nutrition as fresh, sometimes more. If fresh vegetables sit for a long time they lose a lot of nurtriot. Frozen vegetables are picked and frozen right away, so it preserves a lot of nutrition.

I think you might be cutting your calories down too low also. If you cut down too far your body will not give up the weight. It will try to hang on to every pound. It thinks you're starving. Go up to 1400 calories and see if that doesn't make a difference. It may take awhile to see results, your body wants to make sure that you are going to give it food before it turns loose some of the fat.

I admire your exercise routine. I lift weights too, and that makes so much difference. I've heard that it makes you lose weight better than arobics. of course we still need arobics, especially for the heart.

[Idealmuse]

I think the problem with things like slimfast is that 1) your not losing your taste for sweet things and 2) they make the BULK of the caloric choices for you (yes, even with the "snacks" allowed)

I was never able to follow their plan for more then a few days, but I did follow one of those "We give you all the foods - fresh foods" plans in this case it was Seattle Sutton and it was 1000 calories.

You could argue that in a way it was teaching me what to eat, but since I wasn't making the choices honestly I didn't learn much from it at all. Lost 50 and gained it all back.

Not to say SOME can't take the program and translate it to real life... I'm sure there are some that can, but most of us who've been on shake programs or pre-chosen food programs gained back what we lost. (In general)

Ok sorry back to the original topic...

My point is you'll be better off in the long run if you can figure out what choices to make NOW. You have to do it to maintain your loss right? why not learn it now and make life easier on yourself later.

I think you're wise to scale back your weight loss expectations to 130-140. You can always re-evaluate when you get there. Right now you're close to your goal weight so it won't slide off... but if you keep at it you'll get there. I was also in the 150s in high school. I wish I new back then how perfect I was for my size. It's great your working at it now though don't let yourself get to the point many of us did.

And while yes a calorie is a calorie... your body is going to be a lot more satisfied on certain calories and therefore make it easier to not over-eat.

[improbable]

Sweetheart, take it from someone who has been (and occasionally still is) there - No matter how you do it, if you contribute in any way to yourself throwing up in order to counteract perceived overeating, that is an eating disorder. The Chicks in Control board has a lot of us who have been there and can offer advice and help and pick you up when it's hard... but trying to pretend it's not a big deal isn't going to help. And I know you know that it is, otherwise you wouldn't have written it here. Please come talk to us, if you're not ready to talk to anyone in real life, or feel like it's unnecessary, 3fc can be a great substitute while you get things figured out.

[sweetlovin]

Hat Trick-
This is going to help me tremendously when I go grocery shopping tomorrow.

Exercising is the easy part for me. I love cardio, weights are ehh, I deal with them though. I did basketball all last year but quit this year which is probably why it hasn't been TOO hard to jump back into the routine of exercising though I slacked off a bit this week. Going to the gym for 2-3 hours tommorrow.


It's been really hard trying to figure out what to eat so this will definitely be useful.