Posted on 05/22/2006 1:35:39 PM PDT by pgkdan
Back in the day a lot of diet pills were low grade fake speed, then too many junkies figured out that that taking a whole bunch of diet pills would satisfy their craving and WOD got upset. The good news is that that type of diet pill (or ritalin or psuedophed) actually allow your stomach to shrink thus reducing your apetite even when you're not taking the pill, which is always the real key to permanent weight loss. Anything that doesn't let you shrink your normal appetite (like the yeast diet pills, or gadter diets) will only result in temporary weight loss.
Persistance is the key. Also lifestyle changes. Visualise yourself where you want to be and keep reminders of that end result handy at all times.
Don't do a "diet." There are no Magic Bullets out there; one needs to change the way they eat, how much they move, etc., to lose weight.
Try either Weight Watchers in a local group, or on-line. They helped me lose 40 lbs. once and it wasn't horrible at all.
Another nice spot is http://www.sparkpeople.com I use them when I need some motivation and some new ideas and strategies. I think you'll like them. It's fun, manageable, on-line, you can do it on your own, or sign up for a buddy or use their chat community for motivation. :)
No. The only Dr. concerned with my weight is my PCP and he is the one pushing surgery. My Endocrinologist pretty much told me that it's nearly impossible to lose weight taking as much insulin as I take and that's that. However, if I don't lose weight I'll never stop taking the insulin. I saw a dietician who was pushing the American Diabetes Association plan, which is basically eat next to nothing and be hungry all the time. I say that with tongue slightly in cheek, but that's what it amounts to. I can do that for 2-3 days and then I wind up eating everything in sight.
I agree you should exhaust all other options before resorting to surgery. It works well for some people, but can also be quite risky. Not too long ago, another FReeper died from complications, a couple of days after this type of surgery.
My best advice is to make sure there is lots of low/no-calorie bluk in just about everything you eat. If you eat egg salad or tuna salad or chicken salad, make sure it's at least 50% chopped celery. Things like macaroni and cheese can have broccoli or onions added. Another favorite of mine is to sautee a big portobello mushroom -- first the fin side down, then flip it over and put a thin slice of cheese on the fins (Swiss is best IMO, and a bit of tarragon sprinkled on it is good) to melt into them while the other side sautees -- between the fat from the butter and cheese, and the bulk from the mushroom, you'll feel very full, but with a fraction of the calories of a steak.
Have you tried Weight Watchers Points? There are all sorts of sites dedicated to the points formula and lists of restaurants food pooints,so you don't even have to pay WW for the info.
We used to stock up diet pills and No Doze in college when we were cramming for exams.
I hadn't read this anywhere before, but what you wrote makes excellent sense.
The 60 extra pounds were always carried in my chin, neck and abdomen. I have dieted before and the abdomen was always the last area to shrink. This time the abdomen started to grow smaller first.
I think this gave me the impetus to keep up with the walking.
You gotta tough out the hunger pains part. That's really the key to permanent weight loss is shrinking the appetite, the hard part is your stomach doesn't want to shrink so when it's in the process of shrinking you'll be miserable. When I put myself on a weight loss regimen a couple years ago week 3 was when the stomach shrank and it SUCKED, I was hungry every waking minute of every day, but the good news is that once the shrink is done it really stops being a diet. After that I could eat until satisfied for every meal and the weight loss perpetuated itself. Still gotta keep an eye on the intake because once you've gotten over weight you know your instincts can't be fully trusted, but once you lose weight the hard (smart, fairly permanent) way you develop a good reason to not gain it back and all the life skills necessary to keep it off.
You can try looking up these guys http://www.tops.org/ I've got a friend with great success from them (TOPS stands for Take Off Pounds Sensibly). It's pretty much eat less excercise more (the smart way to lose weight) with a support group. They also have a sister organization (Keep Off Pounds Sensibly) for once you achieve your goal and want to maintain.
Gadget diets can give you big results but without the lifestyle change (which most gadget diets are seeking to avoid) they'll never give permanent results.
American's don't get enough omega 3's....cod liver is a great way to get them....good for your brain and cholesterol, too.
I've never heard of the Shandri-La Diet, but thought I'd share what's working for me.
Due to a diagnosis of cancer, I started researching how to fight the disease with nutrition, and have radically altered my diet to one which I'm enjoying, and the weight is falling off -- and I'm one who always had trouble losing weight. It's not coming off due to the diagnosis. I have no symptoms.
I'm not doing a "diet," but eating healthy. My goal, obviously, isn't weight loss, but weight loss is a nice side benefit. Since my goal is not weight loss, I have NOT been limiting my portion sizes or worrying about the amount of olive oil I use, etc. All that fiber, though, does tend to keep portion sizes smaller because you get so full with a small amount of food.
No refined sugar. That's not as difficult as it sounds. There's always Splenda, which I do use in my iced tea and the bran muffins I make. Also, I use a little bit of honey (really take it easy here) to sweeten my smoothies and bran muffins. No carbonated beverages. That I do miss, but health is more important than Cokes, right?
Lots of fiber.
I try to avoid anything with a label. In other words, stay away from processed foods.
Lots of fresh fruits and veggies. Salads, smoothies (not from a smoothie restaurant. Get a smoothie maker and buy frozen fruit from Wal-Mart or Sam's. Get the kind that has no added sugar. Put water or skim milk, ice, frozen fruit, half a banana, maybe a teaspoon of honey, some vanilla extract into the smoothie maker and process it. They're really delicious).
I snack on nuts (raw, unsalted).
I do a lot of cooking on this way of eating, but after a couple of months of it, I'm really enjoying it far more than the way I used to eat, which included a lot of convenience foods. At first it wasn't too enjoyable, but I've been experimenting with cooking and finding some good recipes, so it's getting better.
I don't limit the oil I take in, but I do limit the type of oil to unsaturated fats -- mostly olive and canola oil. No spread or cooking oil that is saturated. No butter or margarine. I do use a butter like spread called Spectrum that I picked up at the health food section at Kroger's. Again, take it easy here. I just use it on a slice of toast a couple of times a week.
For breakfast I usually either have a bran muffin (VERY filling -- I'll share the recipe if you're interested) or a slice of Ezekial bread toast. Ezekial bread can be purchased at Kroger or health food stores in the freezer section. It's a wonderfully healthy bread. I may have a boiled egg or a scrambled egg with tomatoes and onions(using either PAM or olive oil). For my toast, I make grape honey. It's from Biblical times, and it's basically just a delicious grape jam with no added sugar. Take fresh seedless grapes and run them through the food processor. Put it in a small sauce pan and cover them with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Add water if it cooks down too quickly. That's it. And it's every bit as good as any jam or jelly you can buy that's full of added sugar and preservatives.
Lots of beans, brown rice. You can eat potatoes. Stay away from deep fried foods and "enriched" or white flour. For bread, look for whole grain (not necessarily "whole wheat"). Make sure the sugar content is low, the fiber content is high.
Cut way back on red meat. I don't eat red meat at all, nor do I eat the "other white meat." I pretty much limit it to chicken and fish. I use the G. Foreman grill a lot. It's a great tool for eating healthy.
Rather than limiting fats or carbs, just omit bad fats and bad carbs. The thing is you have to be consistent, otherwise you won't lose weight. I flirted with this way of eating before my diagnosis, but I wasn't consistent and lost very, very little weight.
If you're considering going under the knife, maybe that will be the extra willpower push you'll need to make you eat right. I know I needed the added incentive of wanting to heal my body.
You'll have an added benefit if you follow this plan: Great health! That's not always the case with people who undergo surgery in order to lose weight.
Good luck, whatever you decide. If you want some recipes or more details, freepmail me. :-) I'll pray for your success, whatever path you choose.
Yes, mushrooms can be a good meat substitute in many recipes.
Getting back to the original topic...I started the Shangri-La thing about three days ago, so it's a little early for any conclusive result, but it DOES take away some chronic hunger pangs. And I find the olive oil not the least bit unpleasant. A couple tablespoons in the morning and afternoon have been no problem yet. Will keep y'all apprised...SSZ
I was going to be judgmental and tell the guy that "speed" would do the same thing -- but you were nicer.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.