Self-consious in a wetsuit...

[Carolina Diver]

Exactly...don't waste money on the supplements. Why do you think they include a diet and exercise plan? There is no pill to boost your metabolism suffiently to lose weight. Only getting the equation (calories burned > calorie intake) will cause you to lose weight. That is no secret.

Where many people fail is at the supermarket. I see many people who are on diets with chips, regular sodas, sweetened cereal, etc. in their carts along with a few "diet" products. C'mon. They generally convince themselves that the "bad" food is for the rest of the family. Right. It starts with what is available in your house! You need everyone in the house onboard with helping you. They don't have to diet, but they need to make a few sacrifices to help. Save the bad food for meals away from the house. They can go to Burger King or Dairy Queen on their own time.

Look at labels. You don't necessarily need to take a calculator and count everything, but use some common sense. I always look at sugar content and caolories. If I am further suspicious, I look at carbs and fat, but not as concerned. If you think it might be bad for you, it probably is. If you can't believe that the twinkies are really as nutritious as the advertising says...it isn't. Trust your judgement.

Drink water (or diet soda if you need it). Stay away from juices unless it is very low in sugar. A little more protein is better than carbohydrates, but you need some carbs.

Don't eat after 7 p.m. Period. You have no chance to burn off any of those calories no matter how little you ate. And eat slowly. As slow as possible. Many people who are overweight generally eat very, very fast. Their brain doesn't get the signal that their hunger is satisfied until they have overeaten.

Finally, you do need to exercise. Get recommendations from your doctor on what you can do. It needs to be something that elevates your heart rate for a sustained period of time. Swimming was mentioned and is okay, a stationary bike might work depending on where you are in your recovery.

This isn't based on fads or pills, this is more of a lifestyle change and helps to keep your weight under control for good. You might look to the threads that deal with fitness and weight loss to find some buddies to help. If you are accountable to someone, you will tend to do better. Don't get caught up in how many pounds you are losing, but have someone hold you accountable to what you are doing (eating/exercising). The process takes care of itself.

 

[zinnia7]

Weight Watchers. Absolutely. Positively. 100% That is the only safe , sane way to do it. I lost 45 pounds last year with WW.

You should definitely exercise, but I will be honest.....I lost that 45 pounds with virtually no exercise. But I am not recommending that! Exercise is good and you should do it. (so should I)

But all those other diets (Atkins, etc) are not healthy and they don't work long term. Do yourself a favour and join Weight Watchers. You will not regret it! You can eat just about anything you want....in moderation. It's all about portion control.

 

[Damselfish]

You might want to check out the Fitness forum here for more ideas and inspiration.

I understand about caffeine withdrawal headaches, I had a hard time when I did that the first time and all it takes is one slip up with a caffeinated beverage to put me through it again. I'd suggest to be less miserable, cut back gradually instead of going cold turkey. Nurse a coke for awhile instead of chugging it, and drink only enough to make the headache go away. Then switch to something else for as long as you can.

 

[jonnythan]

BTW, for those frantic days in and out of the ER, I have found the Lean Cuisine frozen meals to be a godsend.

Yes, those things are wonderful. I eat them almost every day for lunch.

Lean Cuisines and Subway are havens for us calorie counters. Most of the LC meals are 160-250 calories. A tasty 6" turkey ham and roast beef sub with honey mustard and veggies is only 350.

McDonald's salads, with the Vinegarette dressing and grilled chicken, is only 260 and very filling.

Wendy's new Frescatas aren't all that bad either, at a little over 400.

Sushi, Balance Bars, the "light fare" menus at restaurants.. it's easy to eat well even when you're on the go.

 

[jonnythan]

"Don't eat after 7 p.m. Period. You have no chance to burn off any of those calories no matter how little you ate."

Awful advice, IMO. If you go to bed hungry, you wake up ravenous and have a big, 600-calorie breakfast that sets the tone for the entire day. This is essentially a bad "easy" way to cut calories.. the better way is to spread small meals througout the day and never let yourself get hungry.

 

[JBowl0101]

I have had good results mixing weight lifting and swimming. From what I read, lifting builds muscle and raises your resting calorie burn rate.

In a few weeks I have only lost 8 pounds, but my clothes fit looser, and I've gotten numerous compliments. I'm not so concerned about weight - muscle weighs more than gut - as I am about fitness. Most important, I feel fantastic.

I did not lose weight on swimming alone, for what that's worth. I understand immersion in chilly water triggers a response in mammals to fatten up, and it seemed to have that effect on me. I got stronger, but no leaner.

I still have a LONG way to go, but a Bahamas trip in August is excellent motivation. The lobsters don't stand a chance.

 

[jonnythan]

"From what I read, lifting builds muscle and raises your resting calorie burn rate."

Absolutely. Many many many women don't realize this and so they never do any strength training (don't call it weight lifting, it scares them off). They lose muscle faster than they lose fat and their resting metabolism goes down the toilet.

Gotta build the muscle to lose the fat. You absolutely don't have to turn into a weight lifter, but you need to train those muscles.

 

[boulderjohn]

I had a lot of success wiuth a combination of a lot of exercise (mostly bicycling because of my own knee problems) and a very modified version of the Zone diet. I actually eat extremely well--great food in good quantity. My version is so modified that I can tell you what I do in a few short paragraphs.

I avoid the really refined carbohydrates. I rarely eat bread, pasta, potatoes, white rice, cookies, cakes, etc. Instead of that part of a typical meal, I add another vegetable. I even avoid most breakfast cereals. Take a look at most cereals, and you will see that most of them have very little nutritional value. Study their history and you will wonder how we ever really got started on that. (The history of breakfast cereal is absolutely fascinating. A couple of nutcases essentially started a whacko fad, and we are still following it.) I believe the two greatest sins for anyone with any weight loss issues are French Fries and sugared sodas. Sugared fruit juices are close behind.

Eat a lot of fiber. Oat fiber is especially beneficial. Steel cut oats, the best exception of the "breakfast cereal is bad" rule, make a great breakfast, although you should include some kind of protein with it.

I use the good fats, like olive oil, etc., to replace the other fats in my diet as much as possible.

I snack regularly--the Zone suggest 5 small meals--always including protein--per day. Never have a pure carbohydrate snack--it kicks up your bood glucose and does all sorts of bad things to you, including especially making you crave more carbs.

They key idea is to have a balance of protein, carbs, and fats in every relatively small meal. No need to measure that balance; you can ballpark it by thinking of a carb total volume about twice the size of your protein volume. That is a lot less carbs than a normal American eats.

Notice that this is just a healthy eating plan for life--not a special diet for a five week period and then go back to normal.

Finally, don't look for a miracle. A couple of pounds of weight loss per week is excellent, and more is unhealthy. Look at this as a long term project.

 

[Carolina Diver]

Unfortunately, that 600 calorie breakfast(who can eat that much?) will convert to less fat throughout the day than 150 calories before bed. Sorry, them's the facts. I have had a great deal of experience with weight loss/management and training. That's not something I pulled out of the funny papers...

If you manage your food intake throughout the day, you shouldn't be hungry after "7 ish".

I once worked with a gentleman who would diet throughout the day workout on a bike at night and then reward himself with a "little" ice cream before bed. He didn't lose a pound until I convinced him to drop the ice cream before bed.

 

[jonnythan]

Unfortunately, that 600 calorie breakfast(who can eat that much?) will convert to less fat throughout the day than 150 calories before bed.

Calories is calories. An extra 450 calories a day will add a pound to your body every week, no matter when you eat them.

Sorry, them's the facts. I have had a great deal of experience with weight loss/management and training. That's not something I pulled out of the funny papers...

If you manage your food intake throughout the day, you shouldn't be hungry after "7 ish".

I once worked with a gentleman who would diet throughout the day workout on a bike at night and then reward himself with a "little" ice cream before bed. He didn't lose a pound until I convinced him to drop the ice cream before bed.

I hit the gym every day after work and typically get home at 730 - 8 and go to bed at 1030. I make sure I eat at least 200 calories in between 8 and 1030, and I've lost 10 lbs this month.

I'd love to know where that first statement comes from, because it flies directly in the face of everything I've learned about nutrition in the past two years.