Does anything truly work?

mccindy72 · August 2015

laursim1 wrote: »

I can understand exactly where you're coming from. I had success with WW until I stopped tracking my foods, but looking back I was still eating unhealthy, I would simply manipulate the points so I could eat the greasy burger and fries, then cut out all fruits (to save points) it worked cause I was taking in less than I burned. However, my eating habits were still horrible.

A few years ago, I wanted to get my family healthier. That was my motivation, just to be healthier. I started to intergrate more veggies into recipes that beforehand I would've said they had no business being in them lol. I also purged my home of everything that said "diet" "sugar-free" and "fat-free" if you Google aspartame (which is in all of those things) you'll see it actually makes you gain more weight by usuing it, along with many other bad reactions.
I took these changes slowly, I have a hub and 3 kids at home and there were hardly any complaints about the taste of the meals. I started using half brown half white rice at first, then gradually reduced the white until I don't use it at all. I did the same thing swapping out ground beef for lean ground turkey.

I think your mindset is very important as well. My mindset was on health alone. I didn't watch portion sizes until about a year into it. These little changes lost me 50lbs in 2 years. Yes, that's a long time, I had weeks of plateau, but I never went backwards. Just picking up one or 2 different items at the grocery store a week or every other week will allow you to not feel completely overwhelmed and the weight will slide right off of you. These are life long changes and have lasted for 3 years so far, I'm not depriving myself, I will have sweets when I want them and don't feel bad about it because everything else I put into my body is super healthy. I hope this helps a bit. I was once just as frustrated as you are!

1- aspartame is not in everything that says fat-free. Often there is increased sugar or sodium to replace the fat, but aspartame is not usually used to replace fat. In fact, fat-free dairy is a fine product to use, as typically nothing is used to replace the fat.
2 - aspartame is demonized but it's really not the horrible product, in moderation, that it's made out to be. If you don't want to consume it, that's fine, but it's not going to make people gain weight, so stop telling them that.
3 - watching portion sizes is actually very important for weight loss, and that's what lost you the weight, not changing out white rice for brown, or eliminating aspartame.

Debmal77 · August 2015

mccindy72 wrote: »

show previous quotes

laursim1 wrote: »

I can understand exactly where you're coming from. I had success with WW until I stopped tracking my foods, but looking back I was still eating unhealthy, I would simply manipulate the points so I could eat the greasy burger and fries, then cut out all fruits (to save points) it worked cause I was taking in less than I burned. However, my eating habits were still horrible.

A few years ago, I wanted to get my family healthier. That was my motivation, just to be healthier. I started to intergrate more veggies into recipes that beforehand I would've said they had no business being in them lol. I also purged my home of everything that said "diet" "sugar-free" and "fat-free" if you Google aspartame (which is in all of those things) you'll see it actually makes you gain more weight by usuing it, along with many other bad reactions.
I took these changes slowly, I have a hub and 3 kids at home and there were hardly any complaints about the taste of the meals. I started using half brown half white rice at first, then gradually reduced the white until I don't use it at all. I did the same thing swapping out ground beef for lean ground turkey.

I think your mindset is very important as well. My mindset was on health alone. I didn't watch portion sizes until about a year into it. These little changes lost me 50lbs in 2 years. Yes, that's a long time, I had weeks of plateau, but I never went backwards. Just picking up one or 2 different items at the grocery store a week or every other week will allow you to not feel completely overwhelmed and the weight will slide right off of you. These are life long changes and have lasted for 3 years so far, I'm not depriving myself, I will have sweets when I want them and don't feel bad about it because everything else I put into my body is super healthy. I hope this helps a bit. I was once just as frustrated as you are!

1- aspartame is not in everything that says fat-free. Often there is increased sugar or sodium to replace the fat, but aspartame is not usually used to replace fat. In fact, fat-free dairy is a fine product to use, as typically nothing is used to replace the fat.
2 - aspartame is demonized but it's really not the horrible product, in moderation, that it's made out to be. If you don't want to consume it, that's fine, but it's not going to make people gain weight, so stop telling them that.
3 - watching portion sizes is actually very important for weight loss, and that's what lost you the weight, not changing out white rice for brown, or eliminating aspartame.

Yup.

arditarose · August 2015

mccindy72 wrote: »

show previous quotes

laursim1 wrote: »

I can understand exactly where you're coming from. I had success with WW until I stopped tracking my foods, but looking back I was still eating unhealthy, I would simply manipulate the points so I could eat the greasy burger and fries, then cut out all fruits (to save points) it worked cause I was taking in less than I burned. However, my eating habits were still horrible.

A few years ago, I wanted to get my family healthier. That was my motivation, just to be healthier. I started to intergrate more veggies into recipes that beforehand I would've said they had no business being in them lol. I also purged my home of everything that said "diet" "sugar-free" and "fat-free" if you Google aspartame (which is in all of those things) you'll see it actually makes you gain more weight by usuing it, along with many other bad reactions.
I took these changes slowly, I have a hub and 3 kids at home and there were hardly any complaints about the taste of the meals. I started using half brown half white rice at first, then gradually reduced the white until I don't use it at all. I did the same thing swapping out ground beef for lean ground turkey.

I think your mindset is very important as well. My mindset was on health alone. I didn't watch portion sizes until about a year into it. These little changes lost me 50lbs in 2 years. Yes, that's a long time, I had weeks of plateau, but I never went backwards. Just picking up one or 2 different items at the grocery store a week or every other week will allow you to not feel completely overwhelmed and the weight will slide right off of you. These are life long changes and have lasted for 3 years so far, I'm not depriving myself, I will have sweets when I want them and don't feel bad about it because everything else I put into my body is super healthy. I hope this helps a bit. I was once just as frustrated as you are!

1- aspartame is not in everything that says fat-free. Often there is increased sugar or sodium to replace the fat, but aspartame is not usually used to replace fat. In fact, fat-free dairy is a fine product to use, as typically nothing is used to replace the fat.
2 - aspartame is demonized but it's really not the horrible product, in moderation, that it's made out to be. If you don't want to consume it, that's fine, but it's not going to make people gain weight, so stop telling them that.
3 - watching portion sizes is actually very important for weight loss, and that's what lost you the weight, not changing out white rice for brown, or eliminating aspartame.

Thank you. I started and just couldn't.

kshama2001 · August 2015

mccindy72 wrote: »

show previous quotes

laursim1 wrote: »

I can understand exactly where you're coming from. I had success with WW until I stopped tracking my foods, but looking back I was still eating unhealthy, I would simply manipulate the points so I could eat the greasy burger and fries, then cut out all fruits (to save points) it worked cause I was taking in less than I burned. However, my eating habits were still horrible.

A few years ago, I wanted to get my family healthier. That was my motivation, just to be healthier. I started to intergrate more veggies into recipes that beforehand I would've said they had no business being in them lol. I also purged my home of everything that said "diet" "sugar-free" and "fat-free" if you Google aspartame (which is in all of those things) you'll see it actually makes you gain more weight by usuing it, along with many other bad reactions.
I took these changes slowly, I have a hub and 3 kids at home and there were hardly any complaints about the taste of the meals. I started using half brown half white rice at first, then gradually reduced the white until I don't use it at all. I did the same thing swapping out ground beef for lean ground turkey.

I think your mindset is very important as well. My mindset was on health alone. I didn't watch portion sizes until about a year into it. These little changes lost me 50lbs in 2 years. Yes, that's a long time, I had weeks of plateau, but I never went backwards. Just picking up one or 2 different items at the grocery store a week or every other week will allow you to not feel completely overwhelmed and the weight will slide right off of you. These are life long changes and have lasted for 3 years so far, I'm not depriving myself, I will have sweets when I want them and don't feel bad about it because everything else I put into my body is super healthy. I hope this helps a bit. I was once just as frustrated as you are!

1- aspartame is not in everything that says fat-free. Often there is increased sugar or sodium to replace the fat, but aspartame is not usually used to replace fat. In fact, fat-free dairy is a fine product to use, as typically nothing is used to replace the fat.
2 - aspartame is demonized but it's really not the horrible product, in moderation, that it's made out to be. If you don't want to consume it, that's fine, but it's not going to make people gain weight, so stop telling them that.
3 - watching portion sizes is actually very important for weight loss, and that's what lost you the weight, not changing out white rice for brown, or eliminating aspartame.

Several large scale prospective cohort studies found positive correlation between artificial sweetener use and weight gain.

snickerscharlie · August 2015

Kimegatron wrote: »

A lot of people have never done anything like this before. You hear about all the different dieting, and think that you come to an informed decision. Or, you hear about one, and decide to ask about it. I never did this before, and was really never into it, just hoped that it would all go away magically. Then I got motivated for once in my life, and learned so much here. I also was a believer in "starvation mode" and "low carb" this and "watch your sugars" that. I think that they just need help, they don't know. I still don't know A LOT.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with not knowing. But that's when you need to listen and learn.

[edited by MFP Mods]

mccindy72 · August 2015

kshama2001 wrote: »

show previous quotes

mccindy72 wrote: »

laursim1 wrote: »

I can understand exactly where you're coming from. I had success with WW until I stopped tracking my foods, but looking back I was still eating unhealthy, I would simply manipulate the points so I could eat the greasy burger and fries, then cut out all fruits (to save points) it worked cause I was taking in less than I burned. However, my eating habits were still horrible.

A few years ago, I wanted to get my family healthier. That was my motivation, just to be healthier. I started to intergrate more veggies into recipes that beforehand I would've said they had no business being in them lol. I also purged my home of everything that said "diet" "sugar-free" and "fat-free" if you Google aspartame (which is in all of those things) you'll see it actually makes you gain more weight by usuing it, along with many other bad reactions.
I took these changes slowly, I have a hub and 3 kids at home and there were hardly any complaints about the taste of the meals. I started using half brown half white rice at first, then gradually reduced the white until I don't use it at all. I did the same thing swapping out ground beef for lean ground turkey.

I think your mindset is very important as well. My mindset was on health alone. I didn't watch portion sizes until about a year into it. These little changes lost me 50lbs in 2 years. Yes, that's a long time, I had weeks of plateau, but I never went backwards. Just picking up one or 2 different items at the grocery store a week or every other week will allow you to not feel completely overwhelmed and the weight will slide right off of you. These are life long changes and have lasted for 3 years so far, I'm not depriving myself, I will have sweets when I want them and don't feel bad about it because everything else I put into my body is super healthy. I hope this helps a bit. I was once just as frustrated as you are!

1- aspartame is not in everything that says fat-free. Often there is increased sugar or sodium to replace the fat, but aspartame is not usually used to replace fat. In fact, fat-free dairy is a fine product to use, as typically nothing is used to replace the fat.
2 - aspartame is demonized but it's really not the horrible product, in moderation, that it's made out to be. If you don't want to consume it, that's fine, but it's not going to make people gain weight, so stop telling them that.
3 - watching portion sizes is actually very important for weight loss, and that's what lost you the weight, not changing out white rice for brown, or eliminating aspartame.

Several large scale prospective cohort studies found positive correlation between artificial sweetener use and weight gain.

lol that you linked to a study in 'sugar cravings'. Please. Let's get back into a lengthy discussion about cravings, and enabling, and just no. Stand up to cravings and just say no. Get over it.

LaurenNotLaura · August 2015

I'm not going to argue, maybe you know something I don't. But from all of the scientific articles I've read, state that aspartame attaches itself to the cells as if it was a sugar, when your body tries to metabolize it as such it cant. And that can cause carb cravings to replace the sugar your body has been denied. Causing you to eat more carbs and so gain more weight. Also, my personal experience, when I cut out all of the aspartame in my diet, I had intense withdrawal effects, horrible headaches, cold sweats, insomnia, irritability. Say what you want, I do not want to put a chemical in my body that will do that. I'm also at a point where I'd prefer my ingredients not come from a science lab too.

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt · August 2015

laursim1 wrote: »

I'm not going to argue, maybe you know something I don't. But from all of the scientific articles I've read, state that aspartame attaches itself to the cells as if it was a sugar, when your body tries to metabolize it as such it cant. And that can cause carb cravings to replace the sugar your body has been denied. Causing you to eat more carbs and so gain more weight. Also, my personal experience, when I cut out all of the aspartame in my diet, I had intense withdrawal effects, horrible headaches, cold sweats, insomnia, irritability. Say what you want, I do not want to put a chemical in my body that will do that. I'm also at a point where I'd prefer my ingredients not come from a science lab too.

Here you go: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1308408/why-aspartame-isnt-scary/p1

Please read. Aspartame is made of two amino acids that we generally consume every day anyway.

BWBTrish · August 2015

laursim1 wrote: »

I'm not going to argue, maybe you know something I don't. But from all of the scientific articles I've read, state that aspartame attaches itself to the cells as if it was a sugar, when your body tries to metabolize it as such it cant. And that can cause carb cravings to replace the sugar your body has been denied. Causing you to eat more carbs and so gain more weight. Also, my personal experience, when I cut out all of the aspartame in my diet, I had intense withdrawal effects, horrible headaches, cold sweats, insomnia, irritability. Say what you want, I do not want to put a chemical in my body that will do that. I'm also at a point where I'd prefer my ingredients not come from a science lab too.

You only gain weight when you eat SURPLUS...so more calories than you burn!

goldthistime · August 2015

kshama2001 wrote: »

show previous quotes

mccindy72 wrote: »

laursim1 wrote: »

I can understand exactly where you're coming from. I had success with WW until I stopped tracking my foods, but looking back I was still eating unhealthy, I would simply manipulate the points so I could eat the greasy burger and fries, then cut out all fruits (to save points) it worked cause I was taking in less than I burned. However, my eating habits were still horrible.

A few years ago, I wanted to get my family healthier. That was my motivation, just to be healthier. I started to intergrate more veggies into recipes that beforehand I would've said they had no business being in them lol. I also purged my home of everything that said "diet" "sugar-free" and "fat-free" if you Google aspartame (which is in all of those things) you'll see it actually makes you gain more weight by usuing it, along with many other bad reactions.
I took these changes slowly, I have a hub and 3 kids at home and there were hardly any complaints about the taste of the meals. I started using half brown half white rice at first, then gradually reduced the white until I don't use it at all. I did the same thing swapping out ground beef for lean ground turkey.

I think your mindset is very important as well. My mindset was on health alone. I didn't watch portion sizes until about a year into it. These little changes lost me 50lbs in 2 years. Yes, that's a long time, I had weeks of plateau, but I never went backwards. Just picking up one or 2 different items at the grocery store a week or every other week will allow you to not feel completely overwhelmed and the weight will slide right off of you. These are life long changes and have lasted for 3 years so far, I'm not depriving myself, I will have sweets when I want them and don't feel bad about it because everything else I put into my body is super healthy. I hope this helps a bit. I was once just as frustrated as you are!

1- aspartame is not in everything that says fat-free. Often there is increased sugar or sodium to replace the fat, but aspartame is not usually used to replace fat. In fact, fat-free dairy is a fine product to use, as typically nothing is used to replace the fat.
2 - aspartame is demonized but it's really not the horrible product, in moderation, that it's made out to be. If you don't want to consume it, that's fine, but it's not going to make people gain weight, so stop telling them that.
3 - watching portion sizes is actually very important for weight loss, and that's what lost you the weight, not changing out white rice for brown, or eliminating aspartame.

Several large scale prospective cohort studies found positive correlation between artificial sweetener use and weight gain.

From your link:

"Repeated exposure trains flavor preference [54]. A strong correlation exists between a person’s customary intake of a flavor and his preferred intensity for that flavor. Systematic reduction of dietary salt [55] or fat [56] without any flavorful substitution over the course of several weeks led to a preference for lower levels of those nutrients in the research subjects. In light of these findings, a similar approach might be used to reduce sugar intake. Unsweetening the world’s diet [15] may be the key to reversing the obesity epidemic."

Interesting.

senecarr · August 2015

kgeyser wrote: »

show previous quotes

strong_curves wrote: »

ndj1979 wrote: »

goldthistime wrote: »

Your thread title caught my attention because I do feel like nothing truly works. No guarantees anywhere. I once read a quote from a scientist saying that studies prove that a good way to gain weight is to go on a calorie restricted diet for a period of time first. In other words, diets are a real problem in that we are statistically likely to regain the weight and then some. So, although CICO truly works initially, it only works for a limited period of time for many people. Obviously I'm here believing I can be a statistical minority. I have vowed not to let myself get overly hungry, or to take any other extreme measures to lose this weight, and I have vowed to pay attention to the quality and quantity of food I'm eating forever and ever amen.

wut...??

CICO only fails when one stops eating in a deficit, there is no "time lapse" on CICO...

Werd!

I think some people assume that once they get down to their goal weight, they no longer have to watch how much they eat.

I think the person meant that while a calorie deficit is necessary for weight loss, eventually some people end up having to change the way they eat in order to be successful - just eating "less" isn't enough. They have to focus on eating more whole foods, or preparing foods at home, or eating certain foods less frequently in order to stay on track. Basically, focusing on just calorie intake for a time may work, but it will be the actual lifestyle change that will yield results, and for those people, the quality of food intake matters. At least that's how I'm reading it.

You're excessively applying the principle of charity. The person says they "feel nothing truly works" and "No guarantees anywhere. "
If you acknowledge that CICO is true, then yes, you know there is a guarantee. I personally, 100%, at 1 million to 1 odds, guarantee anyone who wants to take me up on it, that CICO will always hold true, and that consuming fewer calories than you burn will lose weight.
Most of what you're stating is injecting content that isn't there. That would be strawmanning, but it might be the most unusual strawmanning out there - you're actively looking to make their argument better, when it they've already acknowledged they're betting on themselves being wrong.

Orphia · August 2015

ncboiler89 wrote: »

The only thing that works is a good old fashioned detox/cleans

I am intrigued by your advice and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

kshama2001 · August 2015

mccindy72 wrote: »

show previous quotes

kshama2001 wrote: »

mccindy72 wrote: »

laursim1 wrote: »

I can understand exactly where you're coming from. I had success with WW until I stopped tracking my foods, but looking back I was still eating unhealthy, I would simply manipulate the points so I could eat the greasy burger and fries, then cut out all fruits (to save points) it worked cause I was taking in less than I burned. However, my eating habits were still horrible.

A few years ago, I wanted to get my family healthier. That was my motivation, just to be healthier. I started to intergrate more veggies into recipes that beforehand I would've said they had no business being in them lol. I also purged my home of everything that said "diet" "sugar-free" and "fat-free" if you Google aspartame (which is in all of those things) you'll see it actually makes you gain more weight by usuing it, along with many other bad reactions.
I took these changes slowly, I have a hub and 3 kids at home and there were hardly any complaints about the taste of the meals. I started using half brown half white rice at first, then gradually reduced the white until I don't use it at all. I did the same thing swapping out ground beef for lean ground turkey.

I think your mindset is very important as well. My mindset was on health alone. I didn't watch portion sizes until about a year into it. These little changes lost me 50lbs in 2 years. Yes, that's a long time, I had weeks of plateau, but I never went backwards. Just picking up one or 2 different items at the grocery store a week or every other week will allow you to not feel completely overwhelmed and the weight will slide right off of you. These are life long changes and have lasted for 3 years so far, I'm not depriving myself, I will have sweets when I want them and don't feel bad about it because everything else I put into my body is super healthy. I hope this helps a bit. I was once just as frustrated as you are!

1- aspartame is not in everything that says fat-free. Often there is increased sugar or sodium to replace the fat, but aspartame is not usually used to replace fat. In fact, fat-free dairy is a fine product to use, as typically nothing is used to replace the fat.
2 - aspartame is demonized but it's really not the horrible product, in moderation, that it's made out to be. If you don't want to consume it, that's fine, but it's not going to make people gain weight, so stop telling them that.
3 - watching portion sizes is actually very important for weight loss, and that's what lost you the weight, not changing out white rice for brown, or eliminating aspartame.

Several large scale prospective cohort studies found positive correlation between artificial sweetener use and weight gain.

lol that you linked to a study in 'sugar cravings'. Please. Let's get back into a lengthy discussion about cravings, and enabling, and just no. Stand up to cravings and just say no. Get over it.

I can't imagine how anything I've ever said could possible be construed as enabling, especially given all the times I've said that I don't hold with the powerless model.

SergeantSausage · August 2015

mccindy72 wrote: »

show previous quotes

kshama2001 wrote: »

mccindy72 wrote: »

laursim1 wrote: »

I can understand exactly where you're coming from. I had success with WW until I stopped tracking my foods, but looking back I was still eating unhealthy, I would simply manipulate the points so I could eat the greasy burger and fries, then cut out all fruits (to save points) it worked cause I was taking in less than I burned. However, my eating habits were still horrible.

A few years ago, I wanted to get my family healthier. That was my motivation, just to be healthier. I started to intergrate more veggies into recipes that beforehand I would've said they had no business being in them lol. I also purged my home of everything that said "diet" "sugar-free" and "fat-free" if you Google aspartame (which is in all of those things) you'll see it actually makes you gain more weight by usuing it, along with many other bad reactions.
I took these changes slowly, I have a hub and 3 kids at home and there were hardly any complaints about the taste of the meals. I started using half brown half white rice at first, then gradually reduced the white until I don't use it at all. I did the same thing swapping out ground beef for lean ground turkey.

I think your mindset is very important as well. My mindset was on health alone. I didn't watch portion sizes until about a year into it. These little changes lost me 50lbs in 2 years. Yes, that's a long time, I had weeks of plateau, but I never went backwards. Just picking up one or 2 different items at the grocery store a week or every other week will allow you to not feel completely overwhelmed and the weight will slide right off of you. These are life long changes and have lasted for 3 years so far, I'm not depriving myself, I will have sweets when I want them and don't feel bad about it because everything else I put into my body is super healthy. I hope this helps a bit. I was once just as frustrated as you are!

1- aspartame is not in everything that says fat-free. Often there is increased sugar or sodium to replace the fat, but aspartame is not usually used to replace fat. In fact, fat-free dairy is a fine product to use, as typically nothing is used to replace the fat.
2 - aspartame is demonized but it's really not the horrible product, in moderation, that it's made out to be. If you don't want to consume it, that's fine, but it's not going to make people gain weight, so stop telling them that.
3 - watching portion sizes is actually very important for weight loss, and that's what lost you the weight, not changing out white rice for brown, or eliminating aspartame.

Several large scale prospective cohort studies found positive correlation between artificial sweetener use and weight gain.

lol that you linked to a study in 'sugar cravings'. Please. Let's get back into a lengthy discussion about cravings, and enabling, and just no. Stand up to cravings and just say no. Get over it.

I like the cut of your jib.

tincanonastring · August 2015

Orphia wrote: »

show previous quotes

ncboiler89 wrote: »

The only thing that works is a good old fashioned detox/cleans

I am intrigued by your advice and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

I don't have a newsletter, but I have some books on the subject!

senecarr · August 2015

kshama2001 wrote: »

show previous quotes

mccindy72 wrote: »

laursim1 wrote: »

I can understand exactly where you're coming from. I had success with WW until I stopped tracking my foods, but looking back I was still eating unhealthy, I would simply manipulate the points so I could eat the greasy burger and fries, then cut out all fruits (to save points) it worked cause I was taking in less than I burned. However, my eating habits were still horrible.

A few years ago, I wanted to get my family healthier. That was my motivation, just to be healthier. I started to intergrate more veggies into recipes that beforehand I would've said they had no business being in them lol. I also purged my home of everything that said "diet" "sugar-free" and "fat-free" if you Google aspartame (which is in all of those things) you'll see it actually makes you gain more weight by usuing it, along with many other bad reactions.
I took these changes slowly, I have a hub and 3 kids at home and there were hardly any complaints about the taste of the meals. I started using half brown half white rice at first, then gradually reduced the white until I don't use it at all. I did the same thing swapping out ground beef for lean ground turkey.

I think your mindset is very important as well. My mindset was on health alone. I didn't watch portion sizes until about a year into it. These little changes lost me 50lbs in 2 years. Yes, that's a long time, I had weeks of plateau, but I never went backwards. Just picking up one or 2 different items at the grocery store a week or every other week will allow you to not feel completely overwhelmed and the weight will slide right off of you. These are life long changes and have lasted for 3 years so far, I'm not depriving myself, I will have sweets when I want them and don't feel bad about it because everything else I put into my body is super healthy. I hope this helps a bit. I was once just as frustrated as you are!

1- aspartame is not in everything that says fat-free. Often there is increased sugar or sodium to replace the fat, but aspartame is not usually used to replace fat. In fact, fat-free dairy is a fine product to use, as typically nothing is used to replace the fat.
2 - aspartame is demonized but it's really not the horrible product, in moderation, that it's made out to be. If you don't want to consume it, that's fine, but it's not going to make people gain weight, so stop telling them that.
3 - watching portion sizes is actually very important for weight loss, and that's what lost you the weight, not changing out white rice for brown, or eliminating aspartame.

Several large scale prospective cohort studies found positive correlation between artificial sweetener use and weight gain.

Positive correlation between Nicolas Cage Films released and Deaths by Drowing from Falling into Swimming Pools:
http://www.tylervigen.com/view_correlation?id=359
You're posting a correlation. That doesn't mean aspartame causes weight gain. The calorie content of aspartame is so negligible that it can't really cause weight gain. It can, however, very easily be used by people to self justify other high calorie foods in a diet.

Orphia · August 2015

tincanonastring wrote: »

show previous quotes

Orphia wrote: »

ncboiler89 wrote: »

The only thing that works is a good old fashioned detox/cleans

I am intrigued by your advice and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

I don't have a newsletter, but I have some books on the subject!

Books, DVDs, home-delivered trademarked supplements featured on Dr Oz... it's all good.

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt · August 2015

tincanonastring wrote: »

show previous quotes

Orphia wrote: »

ncboiler89 wrote: »

The only thing that works is a good old fashioned detox/cleans

I am intrigued by your advice and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

I don't have a newsletter, but I have some books on the subject!

tomatoey · August 2015

senecarr wrote: »

show previous quotes

kshama2001 wrote: »

mccindy72 wrote: »

laursim1 wrote: »

I can understand exactly where you're coming from. I had success with WW until I stopped tracking my foods, but looking back I was still eating unhealthy, I would simply manipulate the points so I could eat the greasy burger and fries, then cut out all fruits (to save points) it worked cause I was taking in less than I burned. However, my eating habits were still horrible.

A few years ago, I wanted to get my family healthier. That was my motivation, just to be healthier. I started to intergrate more veggies into recipes that beforehand I would've said they had no business being in them lol. I also purged my home of everything that said "diet" "sugar-free" and "fat-free" if you Google aspartame (which is in all of those things) you'll see it actually makes you gain more weight by usuing it, along with many other bad reactions.
I took these changes slowly, I have a hub and 3 kids at home and there were hardly any complaints about the taste of the meals. I started using half brown half white rice at first, then gradually reduced the white until I don't use it at all. I did the same thing swapping out ground beef for lean ground turkey.

I think your mindset is very important as well. My mindset was on health alone. I didn't watch portion sizes until about a year into it. These little changes lost me 50lbs in 2 years. Yes, that's a long time, I had weeks of plateau, but I never went backwards. Just picking up one or 2 different items at the grocery store a week or every other week will allow you to not feel completely overwhelmed and the weight will slide right off of you. These are life long changes and have lasted for 3 years so far, I'm not depriving myself, I will have sweets when I want them and don't feel bad about it because everything else I put into my body is super healthy. I hope this helps a bit. I was once just as frustrated as you are!

1- aspartame is not in everything that says fat-free. Often there is increased sugar or sodium to replace the fat, but aspartame is not usually used to replace fat. In fact, fat-free dairy is a fine product to use, as typically nothing is used to replace the fat.
2 - aspartame is demonized but it's really not the horrible product, in moderation, that it's made out to be. If you don't want to consume it, that's fine, but it's not going to make people gain weight, so stop telling them that.
3 - watching portion sizes is actually very important for weight loss, and that's what lost you the weight, not changing out white rice for brown, or eliminating aspartame.

Several large scale prospective cohort studies found positive correlation between artificial sweetener use and weight gain.

Positive correlation between Nicolas Cage Films released and Deaths by Drowing from Falling into Swimming Pools:
http://www.tylervigen.com/view_correlation?id=359

I suspect there's a causal relationship with that one, if the falling is intentional.

senecarr · August 2015

tomatoey wrote: »

show previous quotes

senecarr wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

mccindy72 wrote: »

laursim1 wrote: »

I can understand exactly where you're coming from. I had success with WW until I stopped tracking my foods, but looking back I was still eating unhealthy, I would simply manipulate the points so I could eat the greasy burger and fries, then cut out all fruits (to save points) it worked cause I was taking in less than I burned. However, my eating habits were still horrible.

A few years ago, I wanted to get my family healthier. That was my motivation, just to be healthier. I started to intergrate more veggies into recipes that beforehand I would've said they had no business being in them lol. I also purged my home of everything that said "diet" "sugar-free" and "fat-free" if you Google aspartame (which is in all of those things) you'll see it actually makes you gain more weight by usuing it, along with many other bad reactions.
I took these changes slowly, I have a hub and 3 kids at home and there were hardly any complaints about the taste of the meals. I started using half brown half white rice at first, then gradually reduced the white until I don't use it at all. I did the same thing swapping out ground beef for lean ground turkey.

I think your mindset is very important as well. My mindset was on health alone. I didn't watch portion sizes until about a year into it. These little changes lost me 50lbs in 2 years. Yes, that's a long time, I had weeks of plateau, but I never went backwards. Just picking up one or 2 different items at the grocery store a week or every other week will allow you to not feel completely overwhelmed and the weight will slide right off of you. These are life long changes and have lasted for 3 years so far, I'm not depriving myself, I will have sweets when I want them and don't feel bad about it because everything else I put into my body is super healthy. I hope this helps a bit. I was once just as frustrated as you are!

1- aspartame is not in everything that says fat-free. Often there is increased sugar or sodium to replace the fat, but aspartame is not usually used to replace fat. In fact, fat-free dairy is a fine product to use, as typically nothing is used to replace the fat.
2 - aspartame is demonized but it's really not the horrible product, in moderation, that it's made out to be. If you don't want to consume it, that's fine, but it's not going to make people gain weight, so stop telling them that.
3 - watching portion sizes is actually very important for weight loss, and that's what lost you the weight, not changing out white rice for brown, or eliminating aspartame.

Several large scale prospective cohort studies found positive correlation between artificial sweetener use and weight gain.

Positive correlation between Nicolas Cage Films released and Deaths by Drowing from Falling into Swimming Pools:
http://www.tylervigen.com/view_correlation?id=359

I suspect there's a causal relationship with that one, if the falling is intentional.

Not the first time I've heard that response, but pool drowning might be preferable to the bees.

tomatoey · August 2015

senecarr wrote: »

show previous quotes

tomatoey wrote: »

senecarr wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

mccindy72 wrote: »

laursim1 wrote: »

I can understand exactly where you're coming from. I had success with WW until I stopped tracking my foods, but looking back I was still eating unhealthy, I would simply manipulate the points so I could eat the greasy burger and fries, then cut out all fruits (to save points) it worked cause I was taking in less than I burned. However, my eating habits were still horrible.

A few years ago, I wanted to get my family healthier. That was my motivation, just to be healthier. I started to intergrate more veggies into recipes that beforehand I would've said they had no business being in them lol. I also purged my home of everything that said "diet" "sugar-free" and "fat-free" if you Google aspartame (which is in all of those things) you'll see it actually makes you gain more weight by usuing it, along with many other bad reactions.
I took these changes slowly, I have a hub and 3 kids at home and there were hardly any complaints about the taste of the meals. I started using half brown half white rice at first, then gradually reduced the white until I don't use it at all. I did the same thing swapping out ground beef for lean ground turkey.

I think your mindset is very important as well. My mindset was on health alone. I didn't watch portion sizes until about a year into it. These little changes lost me 50lbs in 2 years. Yes, that's a long time, I had weeks of plateau, but I never went backwards. Just picking up one or 2 different items at the grocery store a week or every other week will allow you to not feel completely overwhelmed and the weight will slide right off of you. These are life long changes and have lasted for 3 years so far, I'm not depriving myself, I will have sweets when I want them and don't feel bad about it because everything else I put into my body is super healthy. I hope this helps a bit. I was once just as frustrated as you are!

1- aspartame is not in everything that says fat-free. Often there is increased sugar or sodium to replace the fat, but aspartame is not usually used to replace fat. In fact, fat-free dairy is a fine product to use, as typically nothing is used to replace the fat.
2 - aspartame is demonized but it's really not the horrible product, in moderation, that it's made out to be. If you don't want to consume it, that's fine, but it's not going to make people gain weight, so stop telling them that.
3 - watching portion sizes is actually very important for weight loss, and that's what lost you the weight, not changing out white rice for brown, or eliminating aspartame.

Several large scale prospective cohort studies found positive correlation between artificial sweetener use and weight gain.

Positive correlation between Nicolas Cage Films released and Deaths by Drowing from Falling into Swimming Pools:
http://www.tylervigen.com/view_correlation?id=359

I suspect there's a causal relationship with that one, if the falling is intentional.

Not the first time I've heard that response, but pool drowning might be preferable to the bees.

I haven't seen that, because I like my life.

I especially like it when there's no Nicolas Cage in it.

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt · August 2015

tomatoey wrote: »

show previous quotes

senecarr wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

mccindy72 wrote: »

laursim1 wrote: »

I can understand exactly where you're coming from. I had success with WW until I stopped tracking my foods, but looking back I was still eating unhealthy, I would simply manipulate the points so I could eat the greasy burger and fries, then cut out all fruits (to save points) it worked cause I was taking in less than I burned. However, my eating habits were still horrible.

A few years ago, I wanted to get my family healthier. That was my motivation, just to be healthier. I started to intergrate more veggies into recipes that beforehand I would've said they had no business being in them lol. I also purged my home of everything that said "diet" "sugar-free" and "fat-free" if you Google aspartame (which is in all of those things) you'll see it actually makes you gain more weight by usuing it, along with many other bad reactions.
I took these changes slowly, I have a hub and 3 kids at home and there were hardly any complaints about the taste of the meals. I started using half brown half white rice at first, then gradually reduced the white until I don't use it at all. I did the same thing swapping out ground beef for lean ground turkey.

I think your mindset is very important as well. My mindset was on health alone. I didn't watch portion sizes until about a year into it. These little changes lost me 50lbs in 2 years. Yes, that's a long time, I had weeks of plateau, but I never went backwards. Just picking up one or 2 different items at the grocery store a week or every other week will allow you to not feel completely overwhelmed and the weight will slide right off of you. These are life long changes and have lasted for 3 years so far, I'm not depriving myself, I will have sweets when I want them and don't feel bad about it because everything else I put into my body is super healthy. I hope this helps a bit. I was once just as frustrated as you are!

1- aspartame is not in everything that says fat-free. Often there is increased sugar or sodium to replace the fat, but aspartame is not usually used to replace fat. In fact, fat-free dairy is a fine product to use, as typically nothing is used to replace the fat.
2 - aspartame is demonized but it's really not the horrible product, in moderation, that it's made out to be. If you don't want to consume it, that's fine, but it's not going to make people gain weight, so stop telling them that.
3 - watching portion sizes is actually very important for weight loss, and that's what lost you the weight, not changing out white rice for brown, or eliminating aspartame.

Several large scale prospective cohort studies found positive correlation between artificial sweetener use and weight gain.

Positive correlation between Nicolas Cage Films released and Deaths by Drowing from Falling into Swimming Pools:
http://www.tylervigen.com/view_correlation?id=359

I suspect there's a causal relationship with that one, if the falling is intentional.

tomatoey · August 2015

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »

show previous quotes

tomatoey wrote: »

senecarr wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

mccindy72 wrote: »

laursim1 wrote: »

I can understand exactly where you're coming from. I had success with WW until I stopped tracking my foods, but looking back I was still eating unhealthy, I would simply manipulate the points so I could eat the greasy burger and fries, then cut out all fruits (to save points) it worked cause I was taking in less than I burned. However, my eating habits were still horrible.

A few years ago, I wanted to get my family healthier. That was my motivation, just to be healthier. I started to intergrate more veggies into recipes that beforehand I would've said they had no business being in them lol. I also purged my home of everything that said "diet" "sugar-free" and "fat-free" if you Google aspartame (which is in all of those things) you'll see it actually makes you gain more weight by usuing it, along with many other bad reactions.
I took these changes slowly, I have a hub and 3 kids at home and there were hardly any complaints about the taste of the meals. I started using half brown half white rice at first, then gradually reduced the white until I don't use it at all. I did the same thing swapping out ground beef for lean ground turkey.

I think your mindset is very important as well. My mindset was on health alone. I didn't watch portion sizes until about a year into it. These little changes lost me 50lbs in 2 years. Yes, that's a long time, I had weeks of plateau, but I never went backwards. Just picking up one or 2 different items at the grocery store a week or every other week will allow you to not feel completely overwhelmed and the weight will slide right off of you. These are life long changes and have lasted for 3 years so far, I'm not depriving myself, I will have sweets when I want them and don't feel bad about it because everything else I put into my body is super healthy. I hope this helps a bit. I was once just as frustrated as you are!

1- aspartame is not in everything that says fat-free. Often there is increased sugar or sodium to replace the fat, but aspartame is not usually used to replace fat. In fact, fat-free dairy is a fine product to use, as typically nothing is used to replace the fat.
2 - aspartame is demonized but it's really not the horrible product, in moderation, that it's made out to be. If you don't want to consume it, that's fine, but it's not going to make people gain weight, so stop telling them that.
3 - watching portion sizes is actually very important for weight loss, and that's what lost you the weight, not changing out white rice for brown, or eliminating aspartame.

Several large scale prospective cohort studies found positive correlation between artificial sweetener use and weight gain.

Positive correlation between Nicolas Cage Films released and Deaths by Drowing from Falling into Swimming Pools:
http://www.tylervigen.com/view_correlation?id=359

I suspect there's a causal relationship with that one, if the falling is intentional.

senecarr · August 2015

tomatoey wrote: »

show previous quotes

senecarr wrote: »

tomatoey wrote: »

senecarr wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

mccindy72 wrote: »

laursim1 wrote: »

I can understand exactly where you're coming from. I had success with WW until I stopped tracking my foods, but looking back I was still eating unhealthy, I would simply manipulate the points so I could eat the greasy burger and fries, then cut out all fruits (to save points) it worked cause I was taking in less than I burned. However, my eating habits were still horrible.

A few years ago, I wanted to get my family healthier. That was my motivation, just to be healthier. I started to intergrate more veggies into recipes that beforehand I would've said they had no business being in them lol. I also purged my home of everything that said "diet" "sugar-free" and "fat-free" if you Google aspartame (which is in all of those things) you'll see it actually makes you gain more weight by usuing it, along with many other bad reactions.
I took these changes slowly, I have a hub and 3 kids at home and there were hardly any complaints about the taste of the meals. I started using half brown half white rice at first, then gradually reduced the white until I don't use it at all. I did the same thing swapping out ground beef for lean ground turkey.

I think your mindset is very important as well. My mindset was on health alone. I didn't watch portion sizes until about a year into it. These little changes lost me 50lbs in 2 years. Yes, that's a long time, I had weeks of plateau, but I never went backwards. Just picking up one or 2 different items at the grocery store a week or every other week will allow you to not feel completely overwhelmed and the weight will slide right off of you. These are life long changes and have lasted for 3 years so far, I'm not depriving myself, I will have sweets when I want them and don't feel bad about it because everything else I put into my body is super healthy. I hope this helps a bit. I was once just as frustrated as you are!

1- aspartame is not in everything that says fat-free. Often there is increased sugar or sodium to replace the fat, but aspartame is not usually used to replace fat. In fact, fat-free dairy is a fine product to use, as typically nothing is used to replace the fat.
2 - aspartame is demonized but it's really not the horrible product, in moderation, that it's made out to be. If you don't want to consume it, that's fine, but it's not going to make people gain weight, so stop telling them that.
3 - watching portion sizes is actually very important for weight loss, and that's what lost you the weight, not changing out white rice for brown, or eliminating aspartame.

Several large scale prospective cohort studies found positive correlation between artificial sweetener use and weight gain.

Positive correlation between Nicolas Cage Films released and Deaths by Drowing from Falling into Swimming Pools:
http://www.tylervigen.com/view_correlation?id=359

I suspect there's a causal relationship with that one, if the falling is intentional.

Not the first time I've heard that response, but pool drowning might be preferable to the bees.

I haven't seen that, because I like my life.

I especially like it when there's no Nicolas Cage in it.

So you'd prefer to live your life un-Caged? I can respect that.

mfm143 · August 2015

0241USMC wrote: »

show previous quotes

janiep81 wrote: »

I have young kids, too... its amazing the healthy choices they'll make when I don't keep cookies/chips/junk in the house. We eat a lot of apples/other fruit, boiled eggs, string cheese, etc., and they are happy and healthy. It benefits us (parents) to not have it in the house and it benefits them in building healthy habits.

I also second eating as many calories as you can to still lose. I'm losing a lb a week on 1500-1800/day. I'm female, 5'7", and 30 lbs from my goal weight. It helped me to find out my TDEE and my BMR. I'm trying to make changes that I can live with forever. I can't maintain 1200 cals a day forever, but 1700? I can average that, I think.

Oh - and one more thing - I've been lifting heavy. I've never done that before, but I'm very satisfied thus far. I'm losing a little slower than I would if I was doing 100% cardio, but my results are showing faster and my workouts take less time. Its a great workout plan for a busy mom of young kids. I've been following the book The New Rules of Lifting for Women. I also run, which is a very efficient calorie burner. "Efficient" things really help me because I feel guilty working FT and then going to the gym when I want to spend that time with my kids.

We agree that offering young children healthy snack options is best. However, we do let them have chips or cookies on occasion. They are in the house because we shop for groceries two weeks at a time, and refresh the dairy and fresh produce as needed. I think I do pretty good at not touching them except days that I have exercised. I am gonna take a look at TDEE because I don't know what that is. I go to the YMCA with my husband and he goes straight to the weights, while I go straight to the pool. I haven't given weight lifting much of a chance.

Have to agree w previous post , don't buy it and they won't eat it - I have 3 kids under 6 and what I do is buy fresh veggies/fruit -wash/prep it and leave it in the fridge at eye level so it's the first thing they see when they open the fridge up- I also get them cooking with me so they understand that everything they think is " yummy or a special treat" can actually be made at home with REAL ingredients - don't get me wrong they have an ice cream now and then -but it's homemade

I have found when it's not in their face - they don't crave it - if you feel you must have the treats keep it in moderation - weigh it out according to the package (1 serving) and then try cutting it half until you get to the point where you no longer need it. I have a huge sweet/salty tooth and what I have found that REALLY helps is taking a liquid multi-vitamin - I find that it has really curbed my cravings -because really, a craving/hunger is the body's way of getting the nutrients it needs - when you take a multi-vitamin you satisfy those cravings - (ie your body is craving iron , you reach for chips/cookies , body still needs iron an hour later , hence more cravings ) hope this makes sense- hang in there and good luck.

Unknown · August 2015

This content has been removed.

Unknown · August 2015

This content has been removed.

Kimegatron · August 2015

snickerscharlie wrote: »

show previous quotes

Kimegatron wrote: »

snickerscharlie wrote: »

Why do so many noobs make first posts that clearly indicate they need the phone-a-friend option? Or perhaps the buy-a-clue one?

I just don't get that. <shakes head>

Honestly makes me wonder if they're just troll accounts.

A lot of people have never done anything like this before. You hear about all the different dieting, and think that you come to an informed decision. Or, you hear about one, and decide to ask about it. I never did this before, and was really never into it, just hoped that it would all go away magically. Then I got motivated for once in my life, and learned so much here. I also was a believer in "starvation mode" and "low carb" this and "watch your sugars" that. I think that they just need help, they don't know. I still don't know A LOT.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with not knowing. But that's when you need to stfu and learn.

I'm not there stfu type. My guy says that will get me in trouble one day

tomatoey · August 2015

senecarr wrote: »

show previous quotes

tomatoey wrote: »

senecarr wrote: »

tomatoey wrote: »

senecarr wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

mccindy72 wrote: »

laursim1 wrote: »

I can understand exactly where you're coming from. I had success with WW until I stopped tracking my foods, but looking back I was still eating unhealthy, I would simply manipulate the points so I could eat the greasy burger and fries, then cut out all fruits (to save points) it worked cause I was taking in less than I burned. However, my eating habits were still horrible.

A few years ago, I wanted to get my family healthier. That was my motivation, just to be healthier. I started to intergrate more veggies into recipes that beforehand I would've said they had no business being in them lol. I also purged my home of everything that said "diet" "sugar-free" and "fat-free" if you Google aspartame (which is in all of those things) you'll see it actually makes you gain more weight by usuing it, along with many other bad reactions.
I took these changes slowly, I have a hub and 3 kids at home and there were hardly any complaints about the taste of the meals. I started using half brown half white rice at first, then gradually reduced the white until I don't use it at all. I did the same thing swapping out ground beef for lean ground turkey.

I think your mindset is very important as well. My mindset was on health alone. I didn't watch portion sizes until about a year into it. These little changes lost me 50lbs in 2 years. Yes, that's a long time, I had weeks of plateau, but I never went backwards. Just picking up one or 2 different items at the grocery store a week or every other week will allow you to not feel completely overwhelmed and the weight will slide right off of you. These are life long changes and have lasted for 3 years so far, I'm not depriving myself, I will have sweets when I want them and don't feel bad about it because everything else I put into my body is super healthy. I hope this helps a bit. I was once just as frustrated as you are!

1- aspartame is not in everything that says fat-free. Often there is increased sugar or sodium to replace the fat, but aspartame is not usually used to replace fat. In fact, fat-free dairy is a fine product to use, as typically nothing is used to replace the fat.
2 - aspartame is demonized but it's really not the horrible product, in moderation, that it's made out to be. If you don't want to consume it, that's fine, but it's not going to make people gain weight, so stop telling them that.
3 - watching portion sizes is actually very important for weight loss, and that's what lost you the weight, not changing out white rice for brown, or eliminating aspartame.

Several large scale prospective cohort studies found positive correlation between artificial sweetener use and weight gain.

Positive correlation between Nicolas Cage Films released and Deaths by Drowing from Falling into Swimming Pools:
http://www.tylervigen.com/view_correlation?id=359

I suspect there's a causal relationship with that one, if the falling is intentional.

Not the first time I've heard that response, but pool drowning might be preferable to the bees.

I haven't seen that, because I like my life.

I especially like it when there's no Nicolas Cage in it.

So you'd prefer to live your life un-Caged? I can respect that.

lol YES

PeachyCarol · August 2015

goldthistime wrote: »

show previous quotes

ndj1979 wrote: »

goldthistime wrote: »

Your thread title caught my attention because I do feel like nothing truly works. No guarantees anywhere. I once read a quote from a scientist saying that studies prove that a good way to gain weight is to go on a calorie restricted diet for a period of time first. In other words, diets are a real problem in that we are statistically likely to regain the weight and then some. So, although CICO truly works initially, it only works for a limited period of time for many people. Obviously I'm here believing I can be a statistical minority. I have vowed not to let myself get overly hungry, or to take any other extreme measures to lose this weight, and I have vowed to pay attention to the quality and quantity of food I'm eating forever and ever amen.

wut...??

CICO only fails when one stops eating in a deficit, there is no "time lapse" on CICO...

OF COURSE if you keep eating less calories than you are burning, you will lose weight. It would be ludicrous to suggest otherwise. I meant only that many people can't stick with a calorie deficit for extended periods, and of those that do (and get to goal weight), many are likely to falter at some point during maintenance (ie the rest of their lives). My point was that ANY diet is hard to maintain long term, and your best bet is to avoid extreme measures. Better?

But the only way to lose and maintain weight is to understand that your body works on an energy balance.

Of course, operating on extremes isn't healthy. In fact, it's counterproductive because it's more likely to lead to loss of muscle mass if you lose too quickly, but that's beside the point.

The reason most diets fail is because people fail to understand weight management relies on maintaining healthy habits and patterns of consumption. You simply cannot over consume food and maintain a healthy weight.

People who come to understand this? Don't fail. People who run from this fact by blaming the food or hiding behind any other sort of rationalization? They're the ones who are doomed to regain weight.

The theory of energy balance works. The people who embrace it and who also embrace their responsibility and part they played in gaining their weight will be successful in losing that weight.

Spend some time reading the studies on the National Weight Control Registry web site and learn more about what leads to success.

Does anything truly work?

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