The CPF Diet Thread

As a spinoff from THIS THREAD, this our CPF Diet Thread.

It seems as if there are quite a few of us who are trying to shed a few pounds... or ten... or 50... and we can use all the encouragement we can get. So this is our thread. This is where we can boast about our successes and whine about the foods we miss and how hungry we are.

I think we currently have DeiselDave on Sugarbusters, BuddTX is on SlimFast, I am on Weight Watchers and I think someone is on Atkins? Any other diets going?

Let's see how much total weight CPF can lose!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

ok, I went to the doctor last week and got drops for my ear canal infection, and referral to a surgeon for the cyst in my finger..and found out why I have been feeling more jolly lately; I had gained 11 pounds! -- (the 'jolliness' is how the doc accounted for the contradictory lowering of my blood pressure) the 11 lbs. I gained is less than I have lost in the past year, but I had no idea, guess I just relaxed and started enjoying myself too much with the cheese..! (organic of course, can you imagine the concentration of chemicals you can get in cheese?)
..but, I must buy a good scale.. I am tired of the platform type 'bathroom scales' ; always breaking on me /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif -- I am thinking of going Detecto balance scale (the kind like at the docs).. any suggestions?

The methodology behind losing weight is actually very simple.

Calories in < Calories out.

How you achieve this and maintain the loss is via a lifestyle change.

Exercise more, eat in moderation. Discipline and will power are the keys to success.

I know of 2 folks that use the Weightwatchers program and have seen great results. This is one of those "reduce Calories only" plans and doesn't get the participant exercising. As a result, the trick is to stick with the program for the long term. Adding in exercise, even just walking every day, will help with the whole lifestyle change. 1 mile = about 100 Calories. Do that every day and in 1 month you will have burned the equivalent Calories of about 1 lb. of fat.

BTW: Be aware of one little fallacy in the diet industry. The "Calories" you get in food are not the same as the chemical "calories" often quoted on some sites. Notice the capitalization. One food Calorie = 1000 chemical calories. "Calories" are listed on food item labels, not "calories". A LOT of diet websites, including some of the bigger ones, fail to make this distinction.

1 calorie = the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram (1 ml, 1 cubic cm) of water 1 deg. Celsius. 1 Calorie (also called a "kilocalorie") = the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1000 grams (1000 ml, 1000 cubic cm) of water 1 deg. Celsius.

An average person needs about 2000 Calories a day = 2,000,000 calories.

Armed with this info you can find quite a few mistakes on some of the dieting sites where they make incorrect comparisons between the chemical calories of food and food intake Calorie requirements.

There is also one thing that I've found looking at many of the diets. They end up reducing the number of Calories you take in during the day, less Calories taken in than expended equals weight loss remember, but claim it's all due to whatever the plan is. Take the Atkins diet for example. It's all about dropping carbs right? Maybe, but when you stop eating carbs, you also stop eating the donuts, cookies, cake, ice cream, candy bars, beer, big pasta dinners (3x seving sizes) followed by a slice of cheescake, etc. Some of the people who lost a lot of weight on this diet probably lost it by just cutting out the 5000 Calories of junk food they ate everyday.

How about we jsut cut the "diets," and change to a healthy diet, eating a moderate amount of food, smaller portions (an adults meal at McDonalds is what they sell as a kids meal), and less of the junk. Also get up off the counch and workout, both muscle/strength training (don't worry, you won't end up huge unless you make that a part time job, but it's muscle that burns Calories), and cardio. We (Americans) are getting so lazy that we want everything fast, easy, and now. Look at the proliferation of fad diets over the years, and the weight loss products. Do this diet and take this pill.

Oh, I am doing the Slimfast, (replaces two meals a day, have a sensible lunch), plus walking for at least an hour a day, and NO refreshing adult beverages!

I have to tell you a funny story. My neighbor two doors down, tells me that he is giving up Beer and Bread for Lent. Now he isn't even Catholic or Episcopal, so I find this very interesting. Now I have to say, that this guy can put away 6-12 beers a night, on a week day! And, he usually does do that. He has this referigerator, that keeps the beer on the liquid side of 32 degrees, it is just incredible. I am not a fan of Miller Lite, but, a can of Miller Lite out of his referigerator is HEAVEN!

So, I find out more of his "rules", and it turns out, that, for some reason, Biscuits don't count as Bread, and I think that there are a couple of other breads that he says "doesn't count". He also only gives up beer Mon-Thurs.

So, I am talking to him, on a day where it is officially "No Beer", and he just gets off the tread mill, and goes inside to get a drink.

He comes back out, takes a big gulp, and exclaims, "Man, thats strong!" "What's that" I ask, and he says, "Crown and Coke!" I say, wait, I thought you gave up drinking for Lent, he corrects me, NO, I gave up BEER!

I love this guy, so I am not talking behind his back, but I thought that was the funniest thing! He gives up Beer, but no other alcoholic drinks!

ANYWAY, I am at the magic number of 260-261 (depending on when I weigh in). I can't wait to be in the 250's again!

One step at a time, right, I would get discouraged if I said, 70 more pounds to go, but hitting that goal of 259 is obtainable!

CPF has insired many things in me. I suppose this is another one. I'm joining the fray too. Yesterday, I tipped the scales at 222. Since I'm only 5'6", that's not good. To make matters difficult, I've been on thyroid medication for about seven years. In any case, I've got to shed some pounds - about 30 or 40 of them, beginning today.

All Right d'mo

Take it one day and one pound at a time.

You know, I have a feeling that I can do it this time.

It almost ironic that you are 5'6 and 222. I am 5'7 and 261 (as of this morning).

In looking down the road, I am worried that when I actually HIT 220, I might let the diet go by the wayside, because for me, I will be thin, compared to what I am now.

BUT, you are correct, catch your weight when you have a LITTLE to loose, and you will never be in a position to have to loose a bunch!

I used to make fun of people that would say they have 5 or 10 pounds to loose, now I congradulate them, in catching it and doing something about it when they ONLY have 5 or 10 lbs to loose.

You guys are giving me some problems. I'd love to lose 15 or 20 pounds. Right now I'm happy with my interm goal of just not gaining any more weight. I've managed to stay at exactly the same weight for the last year which I thought was pretty good. I'm not overweight enough that my doctor has seen fit to yell at me yet, but I wouldn't exactly be called svelt /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif It's my lifestyle, you see I'm a computer programmer and that means that my fingers work a lot, but my body stays in one position most of the time.

In a few months when our move to a new house is finished I promise to take a more active role in this thread too.

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I know of 2 folks that use the Weightwatchers program and have seen great results. This is one of those "reduce Calories only" plans and doesn't get the participant exercising.

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Doug,

That's actually not true. Weight Watchers DOES encourage exercise! As a matter of fact, that is the topic of the booklet that one gets in week #3 of the program. The first 12 weeks of the program focus on all of the things that one needs for a healthy lifestyle. You end up with 12 booklets in the end.

The neat thing about Weight Watchers is that you really do have to eat a minimum of calories in order to lose weight. We've already discussed the starvation mode thing. It is true that a body needs a certain amount of calories each day in order to just exist. A body MUST consume at least that amount each day. The weight loss comes in when your body does more than just exist and you don't take in the calories to compensate for that. Weight Watchers uses some kind of formula based on your current weight in order to determine how many "points" you can have in a day. The "points" being enough calories to keep your body from going into starvation mode but no more. I'll agree that it's slow but it is healthy.

One problem I've found with any diet is that exercising can be a killer on the scale... as in, you will build muscle and actually see the numbers go UP but the inches go down. When I did Atkins a few years ago, I lost 20 over 8 months but lost 4 sizes and had awesome calves from 8 months of rollerblading every day. BTW, I did maintain the weight loss from Atkins for 2 years... only gained it back when I quit smoking.

[ QUOTE ]
That's actually not true. Weight Watchers DOES encourage exercise!

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Good to hear! Exercise is a necessary ingredient. Since I never used their plan, I'm not an expert on the specifics.

My wife and I have several friends that have done Atkins with great success. We have noticed "emerging" love handles and have been talking about looking into the Atkins process.

We are not ready to jump in, but are really close. Our problem is that we did not realize how much of our diet is carbohydrates and sugar. We are still working on a menu that meets our needs.

Good luck to everyone that has started on the journey. When we get our "issues" worked out, we will jump on board.

Tom

Edit: Does anyone know of a low carb sugarless version of the Long Island Ice Tea?

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Edit: Does anyone know of a low carb sugarless version of the Long Island Ice Tea?

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LOL!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif ... Actually Tom, the adult beverages that make up a Long Island Ice Tea have no carbs. Gin, Vodka, Bourbon... no carbs. That's why I used to drink Jack and Diet Coke when I did Atkins. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Plenty of calories that's fer sure; http://www.dietitian.com/alcohol.html :

"The calories in alcoholic beverages come from alcohol, which contributes 7 calories per gram as opposed to 4 calories per gram for protein and carbohydrate and 9 calories per gram for fat. So if you take 7 calories per gram times approximately 14 grams of alcohol per jigger (1 1/2 ounces), this equals 98 calories. If the alcoholic beverage such as a liqueur also contains carbohydrate, then the calories for this beverage will be even higher and you can multiply the grams of carbohydrate times 4 to get the carbohydrate calories..."



"

BuddTX,

Thanks for the encouragement. The truth is, I should be about 165, but I'll settle for 185. On a recent visit to the doctor, I was diagnosed with borderline hypertension. I've got to take the weight off for myself... the wife, and two girls (Age 7 and 18 months). I want to be there for them.

I'm a typical "office snacker," but today, I've managed a bowl of cereal for breakfast and soup (high fiber - lots-o-beans, my coworkers hate me now) with a few crackers for lunch. I've just got to lay off the cheeze-its and M&Ms I've been snitching during the day.

SilverFox,

I tried Atkins for about 6 months. It worked for a while (about 20 pounds worth), but there was apparently somthing with it that caused kidney stones in me. I don't want to worry anyone as there is no conclusive proof, but up until then, my family had no record of kidney stones.

Besides, from a pain standpoint, I would never wish them on anyone. They are "rated" along with labor pains and gunshot wounds.

I am so frustrated... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif ... I just found out at lunch today that I have been sabotaging myself for the past two weeks. It's a wonder that I've lost any weight at all... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif ... I go to lunch with my husband whenever I can. We meet at this little coffee place that has panini sandwiches. I don't get the sandwich but I did check to see how many points in a blended vanilla frappe made with skim milk, no whip. 4 points. That's assuming that only one scoop of the frappe powder is used... I found out today that they use two scoops.../ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif ... So while I've been counting 4 points a day for my frappe... it has actually been 8 points... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif

My Neurosurgeon buddy told me the Atkins diet while very effective is not a good long-term diet. Atkins is too restrictive in many ways when it comes to a balanced diet. Th Doc was the one that turned me on to Sugar Busters. I sound like a sales brochure for them but it has really amazed me. Weight loss, never hungry after the 5th day (sugar detox) I eat all I want of the right things. I eat more than recommended but I am not going to suffer, if I do I will quit. We never plan on quitting when we start a diet but we do, why? Because, we are hungry and get tired of never eating or not eating enough of the "good" food.

Weight Watchers Works. My Dad lost about 60-70 pounds and kept it off for 5 years. Sugar Busters works. It sounds like a fad diet but it is healthy and for whatever reason it works. It can be expensive but I stay full, my cholesterol drops, I feel good and I lose weight. I dropped 3 pounds during the first week and will lose 3 more this week. I average 3 pounds a week for the first 4 weeks then it drops to 1-2 pounds a week. I started at 246 and will quit on May 14th when I leave on a trip. I should be around 230-233 by then. Time will tell.

I got another guy here to get on it and he lost 25 pounds then went to Sugar Busters Mon-Fri and eats like a dog on the weekends. He drinks every night. He is able to maintain his new lower weight using this method.

Typical day
Breakfast
Large bowl of Nabisco Shredded Wheat with 2% skim milk (I could have whole milk but I don't like it) and a bunch of Blueberries.

Lunch
Two hamburger patties with cheese or taco salad loaded with meat and cheese
Black eyed peas
Boiled sliced squash with onions
Boiled greens with ham
Big bowl of sugar free chocolate frozen yogurt with pecans

Snack, Diet Dr. Pepper and small bag of Peanuts

Supper
16oz Ribeye or 6 eggs with cheese and sausage
Nuked, Whole sweet potato with real butter. Salt and pepper
1 whole can of asparagus
2 slices of Whole wheat, sugar free bread
Big bowl of Sugar Busters Butter Pecan Ice cream.

I sometimes skip the breakfast or the peanut snack because I'm just not hungry.

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d'mo said:
BuddTX,
I'm a typical "office snacker," but today, I've managed a bowl of cereal for breakfast and soup

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Keep fresh fruit around (Apples, Oranges, I like the mineola Tangelo's).

I have been tempted to get a little hotel referigerator, and keep it in my office, so I always have healthy, low fat snack and lunch choices.

You know, My office is in the Middle of a Huge Kitchen (no joke), and I deal with Foods all day, so food is ALWAYS on my mind.

That was the start of my weight problem, in College, I was a HRM major (Hotel Restaurant Mgt) and doing research papers all day, looking at magazine after magazing of pictures of perfect food, you get hungry every 30 minutes!

I'm on MAD - Modified Atkins Diet.

I eat low carb for Brekky and lunch, and miss dinner.

This really works well for me. I found this out by accident when I missed dinner once when I was busy looking after our new twin boys. Now I don't even fell hungry - I do drink a lot of water though.

My BP is down to normal without drugs, and I am steadily losing weight.

Abe.