Anybody NOT really following a PLAN?

[wiskband]

HI all.... was just looing around for dinner options and it got me thinking (smell the wood burning). Anyway, I perfer Low carb. I, personally find it fitting to my needs and wants. Howver, there are many things I miss. I have considered doing a low fat diet but I have gotten so used to LC not sure if that would work. Actually, last year around this time I decided to try WW and it wasnt for me.
So I was just wondering if there are any WISHERS out there who dont specifically following any one thing? Just perhaps eat a variety of things both with carbs and and not nessesary low fat and have maybe cut out the junk food sweets etc?
Is this doable? I mean just being reasonably smart about making choices and regualr exercise? Does one lose weight this way? or is that just a maintance thing?

I have to tell ya, for some reason spagetti is sounding good for tonights dinner but not on my LC menu!


whats your thoughts?

renee

 

[wtpclc]

Renee - I do mainly lc. I do allow myself all of the fruit I want, though. It's my way to get past my sweets cravings. I've been bad as of late, but when I really was following this, I lost.

Also - Dreamfields has lc pasta. It's WONDERFUL!!! It's made with semolina flour. Carbs from that do not get asorbed into the system. (Verified by people other than Dreamfield employees) It's 5 carbs a serving. I usually eat more than 1 serving, but it's still way better than regular pasta. They also have penne. My dh loves getting the pasta back in our lives!

The diet you're talking about is a very real option. Eating smart. Stay away from sugars and fats. Watch out, though. Many lc foods are high fat and vice versa. They've got to get flavor from somewhere.

Try it for a week or two and see how it works for you. I know many don't like to count calories, but I can track foods and exercise on my Palm. Once again, when I'm doing this regularly, it just helps to keep me aware of what I'm doing. It's a pretty good system too.

Good luck and hang in there!

 

[norma1223]

I lost weight last year without following a plan. I called it my "good carb/bad carb" diet. Basically, I cut out almost all sugar, processed flour and high-fat food from my diet. I also watched my portion sizes. I identified a couple of "bad carb" foods that I needed to have in my life - chocolate and cheesecake. Giving myself permission to eat those occasionally made a huge difference in my ability to stay motivated. I haven't had any muffins, bagels, cookies, or french fries in over 9 months and I don't miss them at all. I ate "good carb" foods without guilt - fruits, whole wheat bread, oatmeal, etc. I didn't want to follow a specific plan because I didn't want to count anything and I wanted an eating plan that I could live with the rest of my life. I like knowing that no food is completely off limits; I just choose not to eat them.

I entered my daily food intake at fitday.com for several weeks to get an idea of the number of calories I was consuming and other nutritional information. I made a few small changes (e.g. added a little more dairy to my diet) and was able to lose 24 pounds in 7 months. I was only able to lose .5 to 1 pound a week for various reasons - age (I'm 48), genetics (90% of the adults in my family are overweight or obese), and not being overly strict with my "plan."

Let me add that I exercised regularly during this period and still do during maintenance. I've been maintaining for about 2 months using the same guidelines I used while losing.

Sorry to be so long winded, but I just wanted you to know that it can be done. Good luck!

 

[ZerasPride]

Another lcer here Renee. I can imagine how frustrating it can be sometimes when you want a particular food item and it's not on your plan. I don't think I could ever go back to eating the stuff I was eating before but I hope in maintenance to be able to add a few items back as occasional treats.

What I like about South Beach versus Atkins is that you can have the whole wheat products. I'm not bashing Atkins because many days I eat more Atkins-like than South Beach. But if you're missing bread? Eat 100% whole wheat bread. Missing pasta? There is, in addition to the dreamfields brand (which I love) Gia Russa. They make 100% whole wheat pastas, including spaghtti noodles. We had some for dinner last night and it was yummy! Doing South Beach and Atkins together is like having your lc cake and getting to eat it too.

I know many people can do portion control and/or their own plans. I wish I was one of them. I hope, no I know, you'll find a way to work it so you eat healthy, enjoy your food and lose weight too.

 

[lmhall2000]

I've done slim-fast/low carb starts and here's what works for me...

a little nutty I might admit....

1. Cut out white flour products/sugar 99% of the time....on a birthday I will have a piece of cake....luckily only 10 or so birthdays a year where this matters.
2. Limit myself to 1 Diet Coke a day or Unsweet tea and the rest water.
3. Always start out 1 week very low carb just to jump start and shrink my appetite...always works...
4. If I have a special night where I want to eat anything I want...I'll do slim-fast 2 meals and then just have a little bit of everything even dessert...but never eat a full-portion...about 20 little onion bites off a Blooming Onion...1 piece of bread with butter....all my steak or salmon and 1/2 my potato and 1/2 a dessert with my husband.

Now when I get to goal I hope that I can just have nights like that and not gain weight...but while I'm actively losing I plan things that way...I'll have a piece of whole wheat bread each day and maybe a piece of fruit...but the rest is low-carb conscious.

Nutsy I know but only 36 more pounds to live this way! Oh, and exercise is a must...just my life limits my time right now...my exercise now seems limited to dusting/vacuuming/mopping/bedmaking/laundry daily to keep the house in show condition while we sell it.

Tara

 

[welovedis]

renee-
You definitely have to do something that you can live with for the rest of your life. The dietician I saw last year commented to me that if I used the low cal, low fat way of eating I would be more likely to stay on track because for me it would mean being able to have what I wanted (iin moderation) and not feel like I was dieting.

I'm not saying it works for everyone, you really have to get good about checking your portion sizes, reading labels and that kind of thing. The best thing (for me at least) is that I can enjoy food from pretty much any restaurant, especially if it is chain because they know the calorie & fat content (normally). I have different circumstances than you though, with lots of food allergies and a fairly uncommon GI disease called EG. Low carb was a huge failure for me and cost me a lot health-wise including reduced kidney function. I think it works, but just like anything in this world it doesn't work for everyone.

Good luck with your choices, it is hard to find something to stick to, but you just need to see what works for you the best that you can follow for a lifetime.

 

[Christine]

I am not on any plan but my own--Christine's Plan!!

First and foremost--calories count. I've limited myself to a range of between 1600 and 1800 calories a day. I track it through www.fitday.com so I know that I am staying in my target.

Since I commute a long way and have not time to prepare foods in the morning, it is not feasible for me to do some of egg breakfast that are lower carb. So, I have a high fiber, no sugar cereal every morning with skim milk and fruit.

My lunches are Lean Cuisines or leftovers from dinner. I eat very little bread or pasta. If I do, it is once or twice a week in small amounts.

I try to eat healthy things that I like. I eat fruit, but I don't go overboard with it. Lean cuts of meat, etc. Normal diet, smaller portions.

After doing fitday for awhile, I generally keep my Carb/Protein/Fat ratio at 40/30/30 which is where, I think, the Zone diet likes you to be. I feel pretty good with that and have lost 9 lbs in 26 days!

Oh, yes, I have a "dessert" every day. It's usually a Skinny Cow or a Smart Ones Ice Cream Bar. I couldn't do it without that reward at the end of the day.

 

[tw1nsmom]

Renee, I also think South Beach might work out better for you (or a combo South Beach/Atkins). You stick to lean meats, veggies, some fruit, and some whole grains. If it weren't for the fact that Spencer only eats bread products, milk, carrots, melon, peanut butter, chicken nuggets and fish sticks I would only have to make one meal at dinner. It really is very family friendly.

Dawn

 

[wiskband]

Yea, I have been thinking about easing up on myself then perhaps I won't BINGE. I have to maintain a steady eating plan. I am an extreme person ! lol I am either really good or really bad
Nothing in between!
I should really begin to eat fruit again. I havet had a friut in so long!
I am gonna look into to SB.

thanks all
renee

 

[kfeuer]

I've been thinking about this whole subject alot lately. I've lost most of my weight "doing my own thing" food-wise (while using the tools in Dr. Phil's weight loss book). Then I got to a point where I stopped losing (in retrospect, mostly because I needed to increase my exercise and watch my portion sizes a little more closely). Anyway, over the past few months I've tried a couple different diets and it's made me crazy. It's like I moved from my position of power of choosing the foods I wanted to being powerless ("that's not allowed on my diet"). I HATE feeling restricted. The past couple weeks I've been fighting the old compulsion to overeat that's so hard to overcome, and I know it's springing largely from having been on those diets. I'm trying to ride this phase out without doing any major damage and get back to my healthy habits that didn't feel like deprivation.

My long-winded answer is that in general, diets don't work. We all have to find a way of eating that we can live with forever if we're going to keep the weight off.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

South Beach Diet is great, Renee!

I've been wanting to restart it just to kickstart and do a post marathon sugar detox.

You can start in phase 2 that has the fruit and whole grains...or you can do phase I. The key to phase I is lots of bean: kidney beans, black beans, cannelinni beans--whatever you can handle. These are high carb but low GI and allowable on phase I. Phase I will feel like a drug detox fest. It took me 5 days the first time before I felt normal again.

Phase I you can also cut down to a week if you like to reintroduce the grains and fruit more quickly.

Once you are in phase II--you slowly reintroduce the whole grains and fruits--one of either per day. You have to note how your body reacts to it...and it is best to eat the items with a sugar stopper (a fat, protein, or some other thing I can't remember at the moment). These help slow the digestion. When you know how your body reacts--you know when it is best to have items if at all. For example--I discovered that canteloupe at breakfast time will make me ravenously hungry all day--so it is best as a dessert fruit for me.

My whole family eats whole grain everything (except hubby who refuse WW bread and will eat white flour products if they are available). This includes pasta, pancakes, whatever we can get our hands on that is 100% whole wheat. I have found English Muffins and Bagels that are 100% whole wheat at the regular supermarket.

You can get a lot of information on the SBD at www.prevention.com and click on the south beach diet message boards.

I don't do artificial sweeteners--but those guys have some handy recipes that get you through those wicked Phase I cravings detoxifications.