SOS to all the dieting/gym people

Never cut out any normal food. NEVER. That only equates a failure rate of 99%. Unless you have great discipline. So eat your bread or pasta or rice. Eat WHATEVER.

Since you're starting out, you only need to remember and do 2 things:

1. Use containers to portion your food. Whatever's not in the container, you can't eat it! In time, your brain will get used to it.
2. Never go beyond 80% fullness. Every time you eat, do not go to full capacity. Your body will eventually adapt.

Just do these 2 things and you'll be losing weight after only a few weeks. No need to drastically change your diet.

Hi OP,

I once was at 1200 calories a day - mostly lean meat, fruits and nuts. I had also totally cut off bread and pasta but had brown rice about twice a week. No dairy either because I am mildly lactose intolerant, so decided better to completely avoid milk, cheese, butter. Successfully followed this diet for about 2 months (coupled with daily jogging for 3 miles), lost about 5 kilos, then lost half my hair on Month 3 and by Month 6 had put back all the kilos I had lost. This happened just before my wedding - you see, i was dieting so that I could look fab on my wedding album - but I assure you, it was quite the opposite. I hardly look at the photos any more. It took me about 2 years for my hair to recover, but I still have got the bald spots.

Later when I narrated this to an ayurvedic doctor, he said: "That always happens when you try to teach your body to adapt to a new diet too quickly. Your body learned to lose the kilos but it didn't learn to keep the kilos away - plus it was deprived of the nutrients it needed to function optimally and so it attacked itself by conserving them (the hair loss). You need to give enough time for your body to learn what you're trying to teach. If you're in a hurry, it will also give hurried results but will definitely go back to its old habits sooner or later. Because the human body is genetically designed to depend and run on regular, nourishing sustenance; abstinence works for a while, but not permanently, unless one is disciplined all her life (and most of us are not!)."

Basically, the secret is - when it comes to dieting, slow and steady wins the race. Last November I gave myself a year to lose 24 pounds (what's the rush?), and mostly thanks to MFP, I have been steadily losing 2 pounds a month. I am on a 1740 calorie plan (previously I was eating around 3000 calories a day - blech!) and I eat whatever I want (but I am practising portion control). I walk two miles, stretch 15 min and drink 3L of water every day (best decision ever because it has cured my snack cravings)... this way of dieting keeps me happy, instead of worried and avoiding stuff all the time. Trust me, the high feeling at the beginning of any diet wears off quickly... and moderation of foods works so much better than boycotting pasta from your life!

So, OP, I highly recommend you to read more about fitness and nutrition before starting any diet regime. It will help you be prepared for the diet - and IMO, this mental preparation is vital because dieting is (let's call a spade a spade) tough! Is there any compelling reason you want to lose weight quickly? Even if there is, do be aware that it will not give permanent results. It is dangerous to cut carbs from your diet, as it can lead to permanent damage in your body at the worst case scenario - just like protein and vitamins, the human body also needs carbs and fat to survive and perform daily tasks optimally... the key is in moderation, not abstinence... all the best and here is a link that will help you started - http://www.downstate.edu/ahd/nwl.html



R

P.S.: Great decision to cut out soda! Good riddance to bad rubbish