Ok, so I know someone that gave me a bit of the information about slim4life. Does anyone have advice or experience with this diet? My grandmother went on the diet and has lost a ton of weight and looks amazing. I would really like some other insight. I am unsure of whether or not it would be effective if I adjusted some of the diet and still lose weight. I don't want to deprive myself or get bored of eating the same thing over and over. I love bread and pasta and I want to find a diet that doesn't exclude those completely from your diet. I was thinking of starting off with this diet because many people lose weight fairly quickly. I am going on a trip in March and I don't want to be chubby and self conscious. Of course, I am tired of feeling that way all the time, but this is part of my motivation to lose weight. So I guess I'm just wondering if this is another one of those Atkins like diets where you have to give up certain foods and if you eat them then you gain back all the weight you lost heh. I know that you can eat whatever you want in moderation, but I have not had any luck recently in the weight loss department. No matter how much I watch my calorie intake, I can't cut off any pounds. I NEED HELP!

Hey!

The fact is, you are going to have to restrict food in some way to lose weight. This is the sad truth of it. Many different approaches are out there for ways to restrict food--so choose the one that leaves you flexibility (like calorie counting).

Slim4Life is a supervised, personalized, individual plan that you get through a Slim4Life center. It's not the kind of thing where you can borrow your grandmother's plan and expect it to work for you. Also, with most of these personalized plans, you are expected to eat exactly what they tell you, and not supplement it because you like other foods.

Good luck with finding a way to lose!

Jay

Are you really sure about that? Okay. Just re-read that. It says no matter how much I watch your calorie intake.... Have you been watching your calorie intake or closely monitoring it, making certain to not go over your allotted calories - consistently? Those are two completely different things. "Watching" myself, cutting back, eating only healthy foods never, ever worked for me. No it wasn't until I was WILLING to yes, closely track and monitor every morsel that went into my mouth. Other then that I was simply fooling myself and letting too many calories sneak it. Too many calories to create a calorie deficit. Day after day. Week after week. Once I was WILLING to actually count my calories consistently - then I was able to shed the pounds - consistently and permanently.

Slim4life is a specific diet with specific requirements. The program won't *work* if you don't *work* the program. I don't think it would be effective if you start playiing around with the *rules*. It doesn't seem like it would be the right plan for you. I think you need to find something that you are WILLING to do - long term.

Losing weight won't be possible in the long term if you're not WILLING to stick with something. The weight just won't fall off on it's own. There has to be some kind of plan made and kept to in order to see steady results. It DOES require calorie restriction. That bread and pasta - you just may have to decide how much and how often you want that as opposed to being thin, fit and healthy.

Calorie counting would afford you much more flexibility and allow you to have the occasional, tracked and accounted for bread and pasta.

As far as losing weight quickly. Well if you stick with something, really, really stick with it, you'd be shocked to find out just how fast the time flies. You can make a lot of progress each and every week. No gimmicks required.

well I'm not a complete moron. When I said that I watch my calories I neglected to say that I "montior" I worded it wrong..sorry, I count my calories on spark people and only eat 1300-1550 calories a day and I literally measure my food. I was working out 4 days a week and still would not really lose much weight. I ended up quitting for the summer and I'm just getting back on track and wanted some guidance. I was just asking if my idea would work or not and all you had to say was that it would not work. I feel that I'm being attacked with the you are stupid stick. Maybe I'm just sensitive, but I just wanted some tips.

fuzzbie -- I don't think anyone was trying to say you are stupid. Frequently, people who are new here and looking for advice say things like "I watch what I eat" and it turns out that they aren't tracking their calories at all, just trying to eat less, which doesn't necessarily lead to weight loss.

So, when you said something similar, it seemed to me that Robin was just asking for clarification, based on the many similar posts she has seen.

As for your original question, I have no experience with slim4life, but if you would like my insight or advice, I think you don't need any fancy programs to lose weight (especially if you try to modify them as you suggested). I think you could lose a lot of weight by March by carefully counting calories and exercising as you have been. I know it works for many of us.

I was a little confused in your posts because in your first one you say that you "haven't had any luck recently" losing weight and in this last one you said "ended up quitting for the summer". So, maybe you could tell us more about your current plan and we could help.

If you are only looking for advice on this specific program, you might not find a lot of people who are familiar with it.

Can you give an example of what you used to eat on a daily basis and how long you did that for? What does a "workout" consist of? How long did you do all this before you gave up for a whole summer?

Some people say that calorie counting is all that matters, I personally don't subscribe to that. I believe in balancing protein, carbs, and fats (personally I use a 40/35/25% ratio). Were you getting enough nutrients?

No, you don't need to exclude anything in a lifestyle change ("diet"). Personally, I eat one piece of whole grain bread per day and around 1/3 cup of whole grain pasta per week (plus a couple servings of brown rice per week). That's it, however!

Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Slow down. No one ever called you a moron or even close to one.

Quite frankly, if you ask a question, and then of course expect an answer, no one is just going to say "no, it won't work" and move on. They're going to give you their opinions as to WHY it won't work. In order to HELP you, not hurt you as you think I've done. No one attacked you. You left a very vague question and I did my best to decipher what you meant given the fact that there was so little to work with.

3FC is a VERY supportive place. We bend over backwards here to help one another out. But you have to be open to it.

I think that if you get back to tracking your calories and getting regular exercise, you will see results. Be sure to write down absolutely everything that you swallow, including BLTs (bites, licks, tastes). No huge "cheat days" or "cheat meals." Aim for 1500 cals. Stay consistent and keep going with it.

Jay

I don't think anyone thinks ill of you or thinks you are a moron. Personally, and this is just my opinion, I tend to take the tone of peoples responses with a grain of salt. There are a lot of passionate and very helpful people at 3FC who do go out of their way to be thoughtful, thorough, and very supportive. 3FC is a wonderful place for support, so people are going to go above and beyond to answer questions and be as detailed as they can be. I think that is a good thing, even if there are some bumps to hop over. That is just my take on things.

I do think you can alter a plan to fit your needs. Take me for example, I don't eat meat or dairy so there are a lot of programs that would have to be altered for me. The thing is though, I thought that most programs have people who can help mold a program to fit your needs. It might be a good idea to look into that. I do think if you feel a plan might be too depriving it might not be the plan for you and I don't think you want to get into that trap of starting programs, finding out you hate them, taking a break, then restarting with a new program. So, taking some time now to research, find out what you like etc, is key.

I personally just try to eat a balanced diet for me. I care about my calorie intake, but I don't fixate on it. There are some people who will count almost every single calorie and be 100% happy and then there are people like me and I believe sacha who has a focus on balance. I do think you have to find what works for you, I think everyone here would agree with that.

I had just gotten into a fight with someone after I read the post and with all the bold and underlining I felt that I was stupid. It was a lot my fault, I am frustrated and unhappy. I was doing my personal "program" for about five months. I am planning on trying what I did in high school when I lost 30 pounds in 3 months. All I did was cut out junk food and pop, but I didn't even work out very much. So now I'll just step it up and work out a lot more. I have to plan my dinner meals and I feel part of my problem is that I can't eat at work unless I'm on my 1/2 an hour break at work. I need snacks during the day. Before I binged the last week, I would eat cereal for breakfast, lean cuisine for lunch and if I had dinner it would be like a salad or chicken etc. And a lot of times I ate 2 meals per day because I work 1-9 and wouldn't get to eat dinner til 10 at night. I would also get up at 10, eat breakfast, workout and then go to work. I am going to wake up at like 8 when I work at 1 and have breakfast, workout, then have lunch. Maybe then I can break that bad habit of eating late. Maybe that was my problem with losing weight, not being able to have a normal eating pattern because my job sucks. I can't have snacks to sustain myself in between meals, plus the goofy hours.

fuzzbie -- Good luck! I know lots of us have to continually tweak our plans to find out what works! Sounds like you have some good ideas.

i also dont have any info about slim4life, but im with the majority. i think that fancy/expensive plans arent really necessary. just keep tweaking your calories/fat/protein/etc until you find what works for you.

A guy at work went on the Slim4Life program and did great for about 2 months... then stress eating kicked in and it looks like he gained it all back. I looked over his materials, and it looks to be a type of exchange plan with strictly limited carbs and expensive "required" protein supplements... which can be quite expensive. I've also read of other's bad experiences with inept counselors. So, unless you have money to throw away, I would look for another plan.

You said you have been using SparkPeople to count calories. Just wanted to point out, that their suggested menus are extremely high carb, so that could be a problem. Sad to say, some of us just don't lose weight on a "everything in moderation" kind of diet. You may have to cut out some favorite foods... try lowering the carbs for a week or two and see if it helps.

I do wish you luck. I still haven't found a plan I can live with and lose weight on.

"Required protein supplements"?

Your #1 flag that this program is not great. First of all, protein supplements are just that - supplements - and are never required. I use protein powder once (maybe twice) per day because I do heavy weightlifting (ie. 3000lbs total in a workout). EVEN THEN - a plain chicken breast is better for overall health.

I think your problem lies here:
"Before I binged the last week, I would eat cereal for breakfast, lean cuisine for lunch and if I had dinner it would be like a salad or chicken etc"

#1- cereal. What kind? A whole grain, no-sugar cereal? Or fruit loops? Where is the protein and fat? An alternative is cooked oats, nuts, and egg whites. Perfect balance.

#2- lean cuisine. OK, there is some debate on here about it. Some people swear by it. Personally, I don't see how a frozen carb-heavy sodium saturated 250-300 calorie meal is good for someone and constitutes a real lunch. How about a plain chicken breast, some brown rice (1/3-1/2 cup) and a cup of plain broccoli? Dinner looks good, but it should be salad + chicken and watch out for dressing.

I don't think you need to spend any money on these fancy plans. Just tweak your intake. PS I work shift work (often 7pm-7am) and yes, it makes meal timing more difficult. But if you eat proper food you won't be hungry.

i dont "swear by" lean cuisine. BUT, i do think its a viable option for someone like myself who is in grad school and usually only cooking for one (husband works most nights, my son has dietary restrictions and has to eat certain meals that have to be prepared separately). i know they are high sodium and usually carb heavy, BUT, theyre definitely better than the fast food i would typically grab.

just saying i think most of us who eat lean cuisine know its not the *BEST* choice, but its the easiest for our lifestyles, and better than the options we used to pick.