Hi KitKat,
Millie is right about the NS products and program being different than 10 years ago, just as WW and Richard Simmons keep improving with time.
It sounds like you have been on a lot of diets and yo-yo'd with your weight a lot. For those who know me on other threads-I finally succeeded in permanent weight loss and found a permanent solution-I am overweight right now, but that is due to a pregnancy-I am back with it, and plan on sticking with eating the way I am the rest of my life.
I know how hard it is to lose weight, and there are days that I would rather eat junk and not work out-but for me, being sucessful requires me to treat it as if I were an alcoholic-I run a very high risk for diabetes (I am a gestational diabetic/diabetic while pregnant) and I have to treat my body right for my health.
I hear so much about ladies who go on LA Weight loss, NS, WW, Richard Simmons-etc. and keep yo-yoing and going from plan to plan. All balanced diet plans will work for you if you find the right one that works best for you-NS works great for Millie because she is gone all day and has not time to cook-counting calories works great for me because I am home a lot and like to eat out ocasionally-and others need the moral support of following WW with the meetings...
If you are a yo-yo dieter-there are a few things that you need to look into for permanent success:
1.) That "click". Some people talk about that moment when they get that click, or finally make that lifelong commitment to lose weight-either being faced with a health issue, or having an emberassing moment happen associated with their weight, or a rude comment, or finally realizing in a fitting room that they need a size 28 jeans-or whatever your "click" may be...it is a change of mindset when your body and your health become more important than the latest diet plan you are on, and losing 3 pounds feels better than eating that donut.
2.)Not taking advantage of your diet plan-plans like Body For Life allow a free day of eating whatever you like, and WW gives you the freedom with the points system of choosing your own food. These are choices meant to be enjoyed-but not taken advantage of. Millie talked about forgoing the fruit and milk for ice cream with an earlier post, and I have heard of people using all their points on junky foods, and not eating enought veggies and fruits, etc. or totally gorging themselves on their free eating days. Whatever freedoms your plan allows you-they are to be used in moderation-it is fine to have a cheeseburger on your free day, but you shouldn't have a nonstop eating fest all day, or have a candy bar for breakfast every morning on WW.
3.) Eat "clean" food whenever possible. Things are so processed nowadays...instead of apples we eat apple pie, instead of a chicken breast or small piece of steak, we eat frozen processed bean and cheese burritos...and what exactly is a Twinkie made out of? Your body will function a lot better if you eat food as close to they are in nature as much as possible-choose whole fruits or whole fruit pureed smoothies over juice when posible, real fish, chicken or meat over processed-like chicken patties or nuggets-whole wheat bread over white bread-and if you do eat occasional ice cream-something like Breyers with less ingredients you cannot pronounce. I eat cereals like Frosted mini-wheats because I know what it is in it-whole shredded wheat with a bit of sugar on top...and my kids eat Life or Rice Krispies instead of Choco Donuts cereal or Kaboom.
4.) Commitment to exercise-this is something that some of us think of as a supplement to our diet plans-but it is HALF of our plan! It is necessary to get our exercise-you are burning more calories, strengthening our bones if we are doing any strength training exercise, and keeping our bodies younger longer.
I have known many women who have lost 20-30 pounds without a day of exercise-they still have arms that keep waving after they have stopped, and jiggly jello inner thighs-so even though they are at their ideal weight-in tank tops and shorts they still look FAT. You don't have to do traditional aerobics classes-do walking, jazzercise, weight training, step aerobics, walk in your neighborhood, take country dance lessons-whatever you like. I weight train 3 days a week, and bellydance the other four-I am getting sexy firm shoulders and biceps, and the dancing really helps relieve stress from daily life.
It is a fact that those who have lost a lot of weight and kept it off are most often times than not exercisers.
5.) Do it for yourself. Do not lose weight to please your mother, or husband, or to get more dates, etc. Do it because you want to feel better about yourself and your life. If you are trying to please someone else-it isn't going to last. Do it for yourself-and if you please others who look at you in the process-then that is just an added bonus.
6.) Expect sabitogers. Not everyone will be leased with your weight loss. Some husbands, best friends, sisters in law, etc. will be jealous and try to hinder your efforts. The women sometimes will be jealous of your success, the man in your life may feel jealous, especially if you have always been heavy since you have been with him-it is common in that case for the man to feel that you will leave him when you get "too good" for him, or overly jealous, because he thinks every other man will be looking at you.
Losing weight and keeping it off is so much more than the latest diet you are following. This is why people have success with so many different plans-you have to have all of your other ducks in a row for any plan to work.
Aphil
