Hi. I just thought I would put this post up and see what kind of information I could gather on it. I thought Curves was just a fitness (health club like place) place for women. However, I am reading the Curves book now and it talks about a full blown diet/meal plan! It does not sound all that hard... except for a few places sounds tricky. According to the book I am "carbohydrate sensitive". Which could possibly be true.

My questions are... has anyone ever followed the meal plan/diet in the Curves book? What was the turn out? Can you tell me what you thought about it. How did you feel and so on?

I am currently doing the SBD. However, I am struggling to get it to work this time due to a very poor metabolism. I am still waiting for the 3 Hour Diet book by Jorge Cruise to be delivered (probably on Monday) so I can looked into that. I am thinking that might be a good way for me to go.

During my last pregnancy I had gestational diabeties and had to eat 6 plus small meals a day. I am thinking that is the way I am going to be able to get healthy and lose weight successfully. This is another reason I thought Jorge's books (3 hr diet) might be good for me.

I am just wondering what others have done and are doing and how they have been on the plans.

I have done:
WW = no success at all.... all 4 plus times I did it.
SBD = first time.. did awesome... this time... gaining instead of losing.
Atkins = Ok for first few weeks then had to stop.

I think I have done more then that... but I can't remember. I have been trying to lose weight for like 3 years now. 3 years ago I was around 199! My lowest weight in the past 3 years is 156! But I am almost at my high again.

Anything you can share about the Curves diet or other diets would be highly appreciated. Thanks so much in advance.

I was a member at curves for a year, about 3 years ago. I did one of their challenges, and they used the meal plan from the book.

I found it really hard for me to follow. It was based on a low carb type diet, and that was just too difficult for me to follow.

I did find though, that I never lost weight during my year at Curves. I lost inches though. Near the end, I started doing WW with my mom and kept going to Curves... that was the only time that I saw an actual weight loss.

I think if you combined some sort of diet plan and Curves you'll see a better result than just doing Curves alone.

I'm currently doing WW, and have done pretty well on it.

Good luck with whatever you try, and the Curves diet didn't seem bad, I just had a hard time following it. I was also living at home, and had to make do with what food my mom had bought, so that also made it a tad more difficult than had I been living on my own. And the job I had at the time, made it hard too, for me to eat the small meals through out the day that it called for.

~Liz

I would say that if diets aren't working for you, stop dieting. Rather, try and eat healthy and add in daily exercise. You can lose weight just as effectively, perhaps even better. Because with the change in eating habits and routine exercise, you would have a better chance at keeping the weight off that you do lose. It may seem that you lose at a slow pace that way too, but you didn't gain it overnight.

Sometimes we seek miracles and the fast track and try all these diets that require we eat stuff we would never be able to eat for the rest of our lives. So when we finally do stopping eating that way, the weight can creep right back on. If we just eat healthy, it's something we can stick with for life. And if you have something that isn't healthy, you haven't messed up your diet, you simply indulged one time. The healthy eating is daily and you go right back to it.

You guys are awesome! Thank you so much for both of your replies. Both are going to help me tremendously (sp?)! I love these boards! I get more help/support here then I do on the boards I pay $20 plus a month for! Thanks again.

I've been a member of Curves for the past 2 years and I really love the environment. The staff is very encouraging and helpful. It's the reason I've lost any weight at all! I tried the diet, but for me it was very hard to stick to. I'm not at all a fan of low-carb, which is basically the diet in a nutshell.

Nicole.... thanks for your advice. I went to our local curves. It is not a bad price. But there yearly membership is nuts!!! And in the winter I won't drive. So, I am going to try to do there exercizes here at home. The book shows you how to do this. I am not planning on doing there meal plan. I am checking out the 3 Hour Diet right now. I am only 50 some pages into the book though. But I will succeed some how. Thanks again.

I have been going to Curves since March 2005 and following their lo carb plan since April. I have lost 13 pounds, 21.5 inches and I think it is great. I have basically taken the summer off of the food plan - but I have not gained anything back. They will be changing their plan very soon to be more in line with the new food pyramid - I think it will be easier to work with.

Give it a chance. It is a very good exercise program, especially if you are a preferred coach potato wannabe like myself.

I think the exercise looks neato! But the membership fee (not the monthyly fee but the yearly fee) is a little high for me. I don't like that they only debit the checking account for payment either. I would rather pay cash or whatever. However, if they ever bring one closer to my house I might be willing to check into it further.. if that yearly fees disappears. The monthly fees are not bad though. The book shows you how you can do there exercised at home.. so that is what I am going to do for now. I am going to add it to my walking with Leslie WATP exercises.

Tracy, I think you would have great success with the Insulin Resistance diet book I mentioned.
I actually read it and decided it was too hard. Then I read that article about protein a few years ago and tried it again. I am not overboard with it..but work the plan.
It really keeps cravings in check.
The Curves plan is a low carb diet and would be hard to stick to long term.

BTW I also really like THE THIN COMMANDMENTS..some of the food items he recoomends like the vitamuffins are outstanding! Have really helped me with my weight goals.

I think if your goal is weight loss, and weight loss for life-then you need to exercise and find a plan that you can stick with for life. The biggest key is a lifestyle change. I see that you have tried out a lot of different plans-the key is finding one that you can live with, and sticking to it. Any plan will work if "we" do.

Slimcharm,

I have The Thin Commandments on my list to check out too. I wish I had a bigger library and a bookstore closer!!! I could have everything available right away! That what you get when you live in the country I guess lol. I will check out both books you mentioned though!

I totally understand what your saying. And I have done that.. full force... followed plans to the "T"! But for some reason they are not working! My doctor said it is all because of my metabolism!! ANd quitting smoking recently isn't helping my weight either! I can't wait till my back gets back up to shape because then I will be able to exercise! It hurts to much to do much of anything yet. But, hopefully I have energy then to!

The only thing I wonder is.... my doc says it is my metabolism.... then isn't there something out there that will medically help me fix this?

Exercise! Exercise!

Sarah said it all!