Weight Loss Plans for 2018

[bootspaige]

Just curious if anyone is excited about a specific weight loss program that may have similar goals/ lifestyles....need to lose about 30-40 lbs. I have a corp exec job and a blended family of 5 kids, ages 11-17. I am 47 and go to boot camps and orangetheory sporadically but get plagued with fatigue/ shin issues. I am working out abot 3X a week and know i probably should be doing something every day. I have had success with Ideal Protein but it wasn't sustainable. i've been told that i have a mixed carb/protein need based on my blood specifics. if i don't have a plan and left to my own devices, i tend to gain weight. i know it should be an easy formula! Any suggestions welcome other than eat less, move more! (just kidding)

[tulip]

I've always had good success with Weight Watchers. Super easy to follow, sustainable. You can do it all online.

[A*O]

It's the same old same old for me. I'm an "apple" and gain weight just thinking about carbs, especially bread. If I cut them right back, like to zero, I can keep things more or less under control. It also keeps my diabetic blood sugar stable.

I don't like calorie counting a la WW because I ended up thinking, planning, focussing on food all the time.

[bootspaige]

Tulip, i need to check out WW online!! thank you.... and i do worry about the constant obsession with food like you said, A*O, but if i can stay the course and lose weight without resorting to Ideal Protein, maybe i won't end up with a "fucked up relationship" with food as my last nutritionist stated! thank you!

[tulip]

Tulip, i need to check out WW online!! thank you.... and i do worry about the constant obsession with food like you said, A*O, but if i can stay the course and lose weight without resorting to Ideal Protein, maybe i won't end up with a "fucked up relationship" with food as my last nutritionist stated! thank you!

I have found WW to be very freeing. I don't obsess about food. There is a social media component on there and the WW people fall into a few camps: there are some really ardent followers -- some are inspirational, some are annoying AF; then there are the ones who eat a lot of "fake" food to get as much volume as they can for their points and then there are those who eat "real" food and just watch their portions, etc. I'm in the latter group. I get a kick out of the ones who have travelled miles to find a 1 point hot dog, or weigh their food to the gram. However, it works for them, which is great. It's flexible, so lots of different types of people can have success.

Good luck with whatever path you choose!

[Daphodil]

I'm still trying to find the right plan that works for me. I've done calorie counting, carb counting, WW and portion control. In reality, I become obsessed with food and weighing myself. Weird to see an overweight person with an constrictive (hmmm, I may have just made that word up!) eating disorder. The most success came from WW, but I hated eating "fake" food. I have zero ability to eat or drink artificial sweeteners too, which really complicates a lot of prescriptive plans.

I'd quit smoking (after 30+ years) to undergo radiation for breast cancer. Since then, my weight just continues to climb. I'm really enjoying the food though and get kind of depressed with all the control I need to put into place to lose.

I'm going to keep my eye on this thread

[tulip]

I'm still trying to find the right plan that works for me. I've done calorie counting, carb counting, WW and portion control. In reality, I become obsessed with food and weighing myself. Weird to see an overweight person with an constrictive (hmmm, I may have just made that word up!) eating disorder. The most success came from WW, but I hated eating "fake" food. I have zero ability to eat or drink artificial sweeteners too, which really complicates a lot of prescriptive plans.

I'd quit smoking (after 30+ years) to undergo radiation for breast cancer. Since then, my weight just continues to climb. I'm really enjoying the food though and get kind of depressed with all the control I need to put into place to lose.

I'm going to keep my eye on this thread

I don't eat any "fake" food -- I limit fat and sugar, and don't try to make it up with artificial sweeteners or reduced fat. You can do it. The fake stuff doesn't make me feel good. I'd rather eat less than eat fake.

I'm not trying to sound like I own stock in WW -- but it is very flexible. I am losing weight VERY slowly this time, but I'm living life and enjoying it. I'm not "on" or "off." It's taken me decades to be able to have this relationship with food. I will never be able to not watch what I eat, but I'm OK with that, it's just the new normal.

Good luck with whatever you try!

[LameAnn]

Back on the phentermine my gynecologist prescribed me. It cuts my sweet tooth and cravings completely. I started it in November, took half the dosage prescribed, lost weight quickly, but went off for the holidays. I will do it for a month to get back down.

[Timetoout]

I'm very lucky I don't have a sweettooth. Mostly because I worked in a bakery one summer as a kid and even the smell of baked sugar makes me want to hurl. But I have noticed that I have a savory tooth. When friends of mine "try to diet" or "cut out carbs" I realize I'm really lucky that I actually prefer dips with flatbreads over sandwiches. So for example pita with babaganoush is a go to meal for me.

ETA I forgot to add why I'm mentioning this. I've helped friends over the years readjust their sweettooth to a savory tooth by encouraging them to try dips, olives, yogurt, when they have a sweettooth craving. Sort of like the way you'd grab a bite of ice cream (or 4) when you get a craving. I really do believe you can rewire your brain to crave different things, but it's gotta be a pop of something that feels indulgent. So for example, eating a handful of nachos with salsa and sour cream.

Another strategy I learned is from paying down debt. I used to pay off debt $100 at a time. Every day pay $100 and it goes away quickly. Because of this I've usually been able do the same thing with weight loss to take a large amount of weight loss and just break it down as "I want to lose 1 pound a day, so in 50 days I'll have lost 50 pounds." It's much easier to take on weight loss by committing to 1 pound a day rather than trying to keep the whole 50 pounds in mind. Plus if you take it off this way it's more likely to stay off.

Boil up a bunch of eggs and keep them in your fridge and then each morning eat one egg to get your protine kick going. Then after you shower drink a large glass of water. This will help you avoid not eating breakfast which can cause you to crash later in the day.

Finally, walk. Pick four songs that you can listen to over and over again. Talk a music walk either on a treadmill or around your neighborhood and just walk at a brisk pace as you listen to those four songs. Do this every day. You don't even have to push yourself. If you feel you are half assing it just say "Better than sitting on the couch." You won't even feel like you are exercising.

[stella blue]

I've had pretty good luck counting calories in My Fitness Pal. I've slacked a bit with the holidays and being sick and now traveling, but when I get home from vacation, I am getting back on the wagon. I do better when I eat fewer carbs, but I'm not strictly keto or anything like that. I have to have a calorie goal, though - just "eating until I'm satisfied" is not gonna happen.

My friend has lost over 100 pounds on Ideal Protein and she's looking and feeling fantastic. She's been religious about it - zero cheating - I'm really proud of her, but nofuckingway could I do that unless it was a matter of life and death.

[emkat]

If I would just stop drinking I would be at a much better place weight-wise.

[stella blue]

^^^ I hear ya. My boyfriend and I are both huge craft beer fans and boy, does that add up quickly. If I can stick to weekends only, and really watch my food intake, I might be ok.

[faithanne]

I quit sugar cold turkey, 18 days ago. I needed to bite the bullet and just do it, and stop trying to find ways to still indulge in something sweet after meals and tell myself that it's OK because it's natural/not really fattening/I'm only eating a teeny bit. I broke it within the first week when a friend at work who's an amazing baker made carrot and pineapple muffins (incredible) and I wasn't saying no to those.

The next day I was really unwell with head spins, nausea and a splitting headache. I googled and those were all symptoms of quitting, so I got right back on track. The "experts" said to eat something whenever I felt light headed again, so for the last week I've been eating six meals a day or more, all reasonably healthy things like Vietnamese rice paper rolls, grilled haloumi, just stuff I can pack into mini containers and munch on throughout the day, plus snacking on almonds. Eventually my appetite will get back to normal.

Even eating all that food, I'm starting to lose weight, especially around my middle (which is the main reason I'm doing this) and I just feel so much better. I already drink a lot of water but now I'm downing 4 litres+ every day. Other than bananas, which I still eat occasionally, fruit just looks too sweet to me at the moment. I can't look at a tropical fruit salad without my teeth tingling.

I'm doing a lot of shift work at the moment but next month I'll be back to my regular routine and walking part of the way home every evening (along the Sydney Harbour foreshore, pretty nice way to lose weight) so I expect by then I'll really start to see progress.

[funky_chicken]

I bought a fitbit a few days ago and it helps me with moving more. It reminds me every couple of minutes / every hour or so to stand up and walk for a bit. Also it tracks the energy I burn every day and I can calculate the calories I can eat every day. And it also helps me monitoring the amount of calories I HAVE to eat because this is also very important if you want to lose weight. I don't know the exact figures but it's important to only eat around 200 calories less than your daily recommendation, otherwise your body will go into starvation mode and you won't lose any weight at all.
And yes, what everyone else said: I drink a lot of water and cut out sugar as far as possible and also don't any processed food (as much as possible).

[sprynkles]

I have been tinkering with intermittent fasting. I got turned onto it by my old acting class teacher in Seattle. We are FB friends and he's always talking about starting a fast. I finally did the research on it and have been doing it. I started out by fasting 3 days like a month ago. Then I try to go at least 16 hours from my last meal to the next days first meal. But a lot of the time I have been going 24 hours between eating.

My old teacher, who is 65 and wants to live to be 200, does 5 day fasts occasionally. Apparently, that's when real healing takes place in the body. There is a Dr in Canada who is curing people of their diabetes through fasting. He is doing amazing research on the benefits of fasting. I watched hours of his videos and read up on him. There's even a movie called 'Fasting' I plan on watching.