WW wasn't strict enough for me. The point thing was too vague for me. Curves, I never worked up a sweat, but when I did Curves I was about 20 pounds less than I am now. Slim Fast just wasn't sustainable and not something I can do forever. I do like Slim Fast and use it more as a chocolate snack rather than a meal replacement.
I have been counting calories and it works for me.
I reached my goal with weight watchers I'm maintaining easier while counting calories though with the lose it app on my iphone (for some reason it's easier)
I'm doing the Herbal Magic program. I take all natural, herbal supplements (2 of them - multi-vitamin & chromium and magnesium) as well as plenty of nutricious foods (veggies, fruits, whole grains, protein, dairy, etc) and exercise.
RockinRobin is 112% right - it is about what plan you are willing to stick with.
Weight Watchers: I think is a great program that helps tons of people. It wasn't for me. I didn't like counting points. I didn't like weekly official weigh-ins and I didn't like the price tag. BUT that is were I first learned the idea of portion control.
Slim-Fast: I have dabbled in this, but I don't see it as a realistic long term thing.
Alli: I haven't tried... I am afraid of $#!&ing my pants.
Curves: My mom did Curves for years and loved it. The only drawback is that you can't increase weight/resistance as you get better. Curves is GREAT for starting out, but I am freakishly strong and don't get enough of a work out at Curves (my mom took me to try it a couple times)
Acai: I haven't tried. I imagine it is like most other supplements that work when you use them along with diet and exercise.
I have also done some calorie counting. I have been to see nutritionist. I have been to a psychiatrist for some therapy. Now that I am into a groove... I know what is an appropriate amount for me to eat in a day. I focus on getting in veggies everyday. I eat fruit. I drink water. I jog. I strength train. I do these things because they make me feel good and I am focusing on that. I have been practicing on stopping when I feel full. I eat a small snack when I am hungry. I don't eat when I am not. I limit my booze intake. I limit snacks and sweets.
It sounds like a lot, but when I first started (nine years ago) I was 250 lbs and I only started with switching from white to wheat bread and doing 10 mins a day on the elliptical. Little by little, I added more and more and learned what worked for me and what didn't work.
I voted for WW, but its really not WW. I have my mom's old program from 2000, the "Winning Points" system. I've never been to meetings and i don't pay for it.
WW works if you stick to it, as just about all plans do. It's really about finding what you are going to be willing to do. I'm more comfortable with the points system than counting calories and find it easier. Some calorie counters say points are too complicated. Find what works for you!
I voted for WW, but its really not WW. I have my mom's old program from 2000, the "Winning Points" system. I've never been to meetings and i don't pay for it.
I'm pretty sure my mom did that for a bit too, not completely sure though. Anyway, she lost a good 50 pounds in like 6 months and she was keeping it off then she stopped smoking and gained it all back.
She would smoke when she was hungry and now she has nothing. Unfortunately, I am doing what she was... I smoke when I'm hungry now. Or I will put together a scoop of lo-fat ice cream, a dabble of milk, cut up 5 strawberries and half a banana. Make a yummy smoothie and I'm set for like the next few hours. I know it's not the safest, but it makes me happy and soothes my cravings. I'm not sure what else to do... My diets never seem to stick, especially now that i lost my job, i cannot afford food at all so I have to eat what my parents buy.
Trying to eliminate "white" foods, potatoes, rice, pasta, white bread -
quit drinking diet soda - tea and water now
for me, much more than changing my diet is getting back to working out a lot! I go to the Y at least four days a week, I do the treadmill for 30 mins, circuit training, and then swim for at least 1/2 an hour. Once a week I do Zumba. I am losing slowly but really firming up and making muscles. -
I would rather burn more calories than restrict eating them too drastically
Of the 85 lbs I've lost so far, it hasn't been on one plan or program, but on several. My food plan is constantly evolving (like me).
The only constant has been deciding never to give up, and to never allow myself to think that my effort isn't worth it - not even when the weight loss is stalling or I don't like the food plan I'm on (then it's time to change the plan, not give up).
I've also abolished some dieting traditions and rituals I've followed all of my life such as those regarding:
1. Off-plan eating
If you eat something off plan, you have permission - heck you have the obligation to eat as much as you can until you can start fresh tomorrow morning (unless it's Thursday or later, then the rule is to eat as much as possible all weekend in order to start fresh on Monday morning). If the off-plan eating occurs after Thanksgiving - then the rule is to eat as much possible for the rest of the year until January 1.
2. Changing plans
If you decide that the current weight loss plan is not for you, you must take a "vacation" from dieting until you decide which plan is. This extent and length of this vacation at minimum will follow the same rules as off-plan eating above. However to really do it right - you must gain back ALL of the weight you lost on the "wrong" plan. Until you are at your highest weight (you earn extra points if you wait until you weigh at least 10 lbs more than your previous highest weight) before starting the new and improved plan.
3. Exercise
Exercise should always be extremely intense and difficult, or it should not be attempted at all. If when you're done, you don't feel like you're about to drop dead of a stroke or heart attack - you didn't do it right. DO NOT MOVE unless you are willing to exercise at this intensity. If it's fun - you're also not doing it right. As with off-plan eating, when you fail to meet your exercise goals on any day, you must refrain from exercising or any unnecessary movement until the following Monday or January 1 if the plan violation occurs in November (if there is snow on the ground, it is also acceptable to postpone exercising until the first day of Spring or when there is no trace of snow on the grown, whichever is the latter).
Of course those are stupid rituals, but I also know I'm not the only person to have followed them, or similarly destructive ones.
I don't think my food plan is responsible for my success "this time." I think that diets I followed in the past would have been and could have been as successful if it weren't for all of the ways I shot myself in the foot. Most of the habits were those I learned from other people. I saw how dieting "is done" and I followed the role models I had.
Learning to break out of the sterotype was a challenge. Learning to think differently, act differently, BE different. It was harder than I would have ever guessed (being that I had so little trouble being different in other ways).
The South Beach Diet is the ONLY thing that has worked for me. I've been doing SB since mid-April and I exercise twice a day (walking approximately 3 miles and then doing 25 minutes on the elliptical). At last weigh-in I had lost 61 pounds.
I have tried weight watchers, and while I did lose some weight, found the point system easy to use, I didn't 'learn' anything when it came to actual calorie counts, what they mean, what you need, what you don't. 2 points for this, 3 for that, 1 for that . . . . didn't really get into much more than that.
I am glad I did it, it eased me into the whole calorie counting idea - but I much prefer doing it this way.
I used curves as a jumping off point. Until then I never exercised regularly. I started going and went 3-4 times a week. It was easy, just drop in for about 35 minutes and go. Open good hours so and the location was good for me too. I did eventually get bored of the routine, and joined a regular gym. Because of my good habits from curves, I stuck to the gym routine.
Now I don't live near any gym, and have to do it myself more. Have found a few things to help me, like community programs, but the discipline of curves started a new way of exercising for me.
Whole foods/Clean eating, calorie counting, and exercise. For me, it was about changing my lifestyle, and this was the way i felt i could sustain results in the long run. I've only been at it a month or so, but already it's been working for me, and I don't feel deprived of anything.
I did weight watchers off and on for years but I could never stand it for long periods of time. I just started calorie counting and for some reason, I find it liberating! I was used to writing down what I eat and then trying to calculate out how many points per item. Calorie counting is so much easier!
I'm maintaining easier while counting calories though with the lose it app on my iphone (for some reason it's easier)
