What Diet is everyone doing?
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Here is a 7-day meal plan for Clean Eating from Shape magazine. Would this be something you would consider? It is very close to how I eat. For the oatmeal breakfast, I cook my oatmeal with water only and add one scoop of vanilla or chocolate protein powder (has both whey and pea protein) and either blueberries or strawberries.
http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/cooking-ideas/healthy-food-diet-7-day-clean-eating-challenge1 -
I would say Jaxbella - honestly. Going through sugar withdrawal can be absolute hell. I am not looking forward to starting this again tomorrow. However - once you have gotten over that if you can get through it, the sugar cravings disappear and it is SO easy to eat within a decent calorie limit. A great kickstart also is that you dramatically lose a lot of water weight in the beginning so the scales are a pleasure to look at and you immediately feel lighter and flatter in the tummy.
After 2 or so weeks it becomes a habit to eat that way.. I am a sandwich fiend and will make anything into a sandwich given half the chance but I was so surprised that I didn't miss bread.
I fell off the low carb wagon as I got the time of the month and my cravings went through the roof... still managed relatively okay until I got ill at the end of that week and could only eat ice cream without feeling sick. Unfortunately once you give into some sugar the cravings and hunger are back with a vengence... I now know that if I am going to be successful long-term, I need to say goodbye to sugar completely, but I couldn't help getting ill so I guess sometimes life gets in the way and we have to do what's right for our bodies.. I fed it what it wanted. But now I have to go through the beginning stages again.
Why am I willing to go through this?
Out of all the diets i've ever been on - (many!) I would whole-heartedly recommend this way of eating over and above the rest. I've successfully lost weight on most of the diets i've tried, but it has never been so painless as this way of eating, once you get over the sugar hurdle.1 -
Mirabelle1983 wrote: »Brilliant story there...
I figured out after a longgg time that whatever dieted I followed I would lose weight. Finally have settled on a diet plan I like and could become a way of life if I can get over the sugar cravings at the time of the month which are killing this way of eating unfortunately.
You sound like a very active person too, which is gotta be great for your health (and sanity!)
I find that if I eat enough protein during the day, I don't have cravings after my last meal. I do several 5-6 small meals during the day. For weight loss, using exercise and activity levels, it is important to have a good guide. Bodybuilders use a formula that I have seen mentioned on mfp, but I have a booklet with a chart that I use. It uses target weight and level of activity to tell you grams of protein required per day. If you like, I can tell you what it says for you (or anyone else) with those two info items.0 -
hoovhome and Mirabelle - thanks for all of the advise. I'm trying to find something that both myself and my husband can do. I am not confident that he would be able to do low carb because of fruit and oatmeal actually - so looking at the link that hoovhome sent for the clean eating maybe the way to go. It actually is just along the lines of WW's Simply Filling Technique. And I agree about whatever diet you follow works as along as you do it. My GYN told me that 30 some years ago :>) My son is doing a low carb but not so strict that there are no fruits involved. He basically just cut out pasta, rice, potatoes and bread. Well, anyways, I am gearing up to try more along the lines of low carb / clean eating starting next week. CLEANING OUT THE Kitchen this week - and I don't mean eating it all - lol ~
I love all of this support with you guys!1 -
Low carb can luckily mean anything from 20g (ketogenic) to 100g (still considered low carb) and if clean eating takes your fancy maybe you should take a look at primal.. similar to paleo but allows dairy... lower carb than average western diet (not low carb as such) allows fruit - just restrcts refined sugars and grains. That's the good thing about all these different eating plans, plenty to choose from. But lowering the carbs in general will help the sugar cravings whatever you decide to follow.2
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There's a great book called "Living the Low Carb Life" by Jonny Bowden Living Low Carb: Controlled-Carbohydrate Eating for Long-Term Weight Loss https://www.amazon.com/dp/1454903511/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_f5irxbCXWCXW7
I read it before I started Atkins in 2003 and he basically compares and contrasts all the various plans. There are dozens of diets discussed. He even includes The Zone Diet, because it represents a lower level of carbs than the US government tells us we should eat, even though it's far higher than ketogenic plans.1 -
valerieblaydes wrote: »There's a great book called "Living the Low Carb Life" by Jonny Bowden Living Low Carb: Controlled-Carbohydrate Eating for Long-Term Weight Loss https://www.amazon.com/dp/1454903511/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_f5irxbCXWCXW7
I read it before I started Atkins in 2003 and he basically compares and contrasts all the various plans. There are dozens of diets discussed. He even includes The Zone Diet, because it represents a lower level of carbs than the US government tells us we should eat, even though it's far higher than ketogenic plans.
That sounds like a good book - I may even like to read that myself and I own a good proportion of the low carb books, lol1 -
I consider what I do "lowER carb" because I keep them less than 30% of my calories including the fiber and leafy veggies and such. I actually gain weight when I eat the recommended amount of carbs, even on a low calorie plan. Plus, I get crazy hungry and crave everything.1
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Valerie after experiementing with various carb amounts I think I've come to the conculsion that the lower the better for me. As soon as I start allowing myself some xtra veggies, or even a small bowl of berries I notice at the moment my cravings increase quite significantly.
I am now about to start Atkins 1972 Induction.. He concentrates on as low carbs as you can get really without going to 0 for 2 weeks. I think i'ts the kickstart I need. It will however, be exciting and terrifying not to count calories... I promised myself I wouldn't so I could really see what my actual appetite is without knowing I have x-amount left to eat.2 -
Hope it works for you, I just know I'd go crazy without carb.0
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fwitsend1277 wrote: »Hope it works for you, I just know I'd go crazy without carb.
Oh yes!! lol - and you do, for a little while. But the feeling when it goes away is amazing and one I would suggest everyone experience at least once in their lifetime - ha ha! The power of sugar...
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Yes, it does feel awesome! For me my trigger level is a little higher. Probably has to do with activity level. I lose control when I eat flour and sugar, but I seem to be able to control myself with potatoes and corn, starchy veggies. I will even eat occasional whole wheat bread or hot cereal. Granola on my yogurt, etc.
Put cookies, brownies, cake, pie in the mix and I can't stop. Which is so dangerous with my job--I can pop something in my mouth every thirty minutes easily, and it adds up to thousands of calories so fast!0 -
valerieblaydes wrote: »I don't know how I didn't notice this conversation--I'm one of y'all who has tried everything. I crash dieted and starved through my teens. I graduated high school around 220 lbs. and six feet tall.
I moved to New York for college and walked as much as 10 miles a day. I lost 40 pounds the first two months there, even though I was stuffing myself with street food. The more I learned the trains and buses, the less I walked, and my weight crept to a lifetime high of 273.
At 21, I moved back down south and went to work in a health food store. Became a vegetarian, then a vegan for a short time. Walked 3 miles a day. Gradually lost down to 203. Took a job as a traveling sales rep in the health food business, slowly regained over several years. Boss sold the company and I went to culinary school. In my last semester of culinary school, I was back to 264.
I met a new gynecologist who finally explained the connection between PCOS and glucose metabolism, and it changed my life. I took metformin for six months and committed to the Atkins diet. By my follow up appointment I was 185, and I stayed there for a couple of years. I began the long walks again, and I was pretty comfortable maintaining.
Then I met my ex-husband, who lived on Chinese delivery and various rice based cuisines. I fell in love and ate all my meals at his place, and it wasn't long before the weight was creeping on. We got married and moved out of the city, and I reached 243 when he and I decided to go on Nutrisystem. I joined the LA Fitness and got a trainer, and I ate 1250 calories of packaged food for a year or so, and again stalled at 185. I just couldn't lose any more, and I was bored with the food and my husband had long stopped eating it and was back on Chinese.
When I left the hotel pastry kitchen and started my job with this catering company, I was back to 243 again. I started low carbing at work, got down to 195 or so. Went through a divorce and a disc surgery, moved in with friends. Started running, lifting much more, spending two or three hours in the gym. Did P90X and ate the Tony Horton way. Egg whites and oatmeal and bodybuilder food. I was probably eating 3000 calories a day and burning 4000. I loved heavy lifting and was really getting into a lifestyle.
I got down to 185 again, but was definitely beginning to change the composition of my body. I might have been on the verge of building enough muscle to start a major fat loss. But, I moved to Louisiana with a new boyfriend and gave up my beloved big box gym. I never found the same lifestyle there, the relationship was no what I expected, and my job in Colorado (with all the nice workout equipment) came to an end and I was transferred to North Dakota.
I was in and out of many different camps there, and sometimes I had equipment of space to work out. I went through a lot of changes. I bought a house in Louisiana, ended that bad relationship, struggled to keep from gaining weight. Gained and lost small amounts.
By the time all the oil camps in North Dakota shut down, I was back to around 240. I went to Alaska and worked my butt off for the first year. This year, I am finally settling down to work on ME.
Now I'm in a nice camp with a lovely gym and good food choices. My job is as secure as it will ever be. The Fitbit trend reached me, and I feel like everything is coalescing. The wisdom I have reached is this:
I will lose weight no matter which eating plan I follow, as long as I work out and walk every day. Activity is my biggest fat burner. So, I log my food to keep me honest. I try to keep my carbs to less than 30% of my total calories and my protein up around one gram for every pound of ideal lean body mass. I try to have a 500 calorie deficit and then add 500 calories of exercise. So, I eat between 2000 and 2500 calories and burn between 3000 and 3500. I do a really good job of eating enough fiber, little sugar, plenty of antioxidants and good day. But my goal is to exercise...and this time I will crack the barrier and reach 165.
Where were you in ND??? I am in ND!
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I worked all around the oilfield camps in Western North Dakota and Eastern Montana...but as you know most of that shut down when the price of oil dropped. I'll bet that state is hurting right now. My company has most of their catering contracts in Alaska, so now that I've come up here I think I'm safe....
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Well ladies - after giving it much thought and consideration to not just me but my husband as well, we decided instead of low Carb - we would just follow the WW PP Plan again. It worked for us before - I lost the 57 pounds and know how to follow it like the back of my hand. WW has a plan also called Simply Filling - where it technically is "Clean Eating". Thanks for all of the advise!3
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valerieblaydes wrote: »I worked all around the oilfield camps in Western North Dakota and Eastern Montana...but as you know most of that shut down when the price of oil dropped. I'll bet that state is hurting right now. My company has most of their catering contracts in Alaska, so now that I've come up here I think I'm safe....
The west part of the state is. It is,really sad. I'm on the complete opposite side of the state...almost in Minnesota!0 -
jaxbella14 wrote: »Well ladies - after giving it much thought and consideration to not just me but my husband as well, we decided instead of low Carb - we would just follow the WW PP Plan again. It worked for us before - I lost the 57 pounds and know how to follow it like the back of my hand. WW has a plan also called Simply Filling - where it technically is "Clean Eating". Thanks for all of the advise!
Sometimes it is easier to do what you have done before. I know that from years of going back to calorie counting to lose weight. The main thing is that you and husband are motivated, and you''ll be successful!
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This is a great thread. After researching a few different plans I went with Primal Blueprint(Mark Sisson). I have been on it for about a week or so. Good results so far. I am eating plenty and feeling energized. I will continue to log my calories just to keep an eye on things. I am shooting for under 100 g of carbs a day. Anybody else doing this?0
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karenenriquez1225 wrote: »This is a great thread. After researching a few different plans I went with Primal Blueprint(Mark Sisson). I have been on it for about a week or so. Good results so far. I am eating plenty and feeling energized. I will continue to log my calories just to keep an eye on things. I am shooting for under 100 g of carbs a day. Anybody else doing this?
I've done Primal Karen, preferred it to Paleo as it is a little more leanient!
What I would say is Primal will likely be my maintenance/way of life plan after i've lost the weight. I felt better but it wasn't restrictive enough for me and lost weight very slowly. I have a lot to lose so I need to speed things up therefore I am Keto now, but plan to return to Primal when I reach my goal weight.
Glad you like the thread!!!
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