Hello. My name is Julie and I am overweight. There, I took the first step. I admitted there is a problem. Now, I'm working on the solution, losing weight. I am not a dieter. I don't believe in doing the quick fix/lose weight yo-yo stuff. Several years ago I tried the South Beach Diet. I lost 20 lbs in 3 months but I had to give up everything I loved and I was miserable. The first 2 weeks were the worst. That was my first experience with dieting and my last. If that is what they are like, it is no wonder why people never stick with the plan.
There is a new fad diet out now called the "HCG diet". I know of several people who are on it and yes they are losing weight and they are doing it relatively fast. I can see how cutting your food intake to 500 calories for the first week or so would do it. Heck if we all did it we would all loose weight. I just don't think it is good to put a hormone in your body that gets you banned from athletics if it is found in your system. Just my thoughts though.
I have researched many different weight loss remedies over the years and have come to a conclusion. Unless you modify your eating behavior/habits then any weight you gain on your diet will be put back on when you stop dieting. What is needed is behavior modification.
So, with my goal in mind to loose weight I joined Weight Watchers. They have a new program out called Points Plus. Basically you are allotted a certain amount of points a day to consume based on your age, height, and weight. The goal is to eat all of your points but not go over. What I love is that fruits and most vegetables are 0 points. When configuring points they look at the amount of fat, protein, carbohydrates, and fiber and item has. Obviously you want the item to have more protein and fiber and less fat and carbs. You are also given a weekly points allowance (49 pts) for those little "splurges" you need.
I am modifying my eating habits. I am basically still eating the same food I love but I'm changing it up a bit. For example: I love having an egg sandwich for breakfast. I would scramble an egg (no extra stuff) and put it between two pieces of buttered bread. Now I still scramble an egg or egg whites and place it between slightly buttered lite English muffin. I also grab a piece of fruit. I find it very satisfying and filling.
One of my favorite snacks is dipping pretzels into cream cheese. Well, now I dip my pretzels into laughing cow cheese. To me the Laughing Cow Cheese tastes almost the same as cream cheese.
The idea is to have a more balanced diet. Eat more fruits and vegetables, have whole grains, and eat lean protein. I have been tracking my portion sizes and my stomach has shrunken. Eating more fruits has taken away a good chunk of my sweet cravings. When I do get a sweet craving I found that Extra bubblegum in a dessert flavor does the trick. The mint chocolate chip flavored gum is my favorite.
I love being able to eat the foods I love and still loose weight. Last week I still had my chocolate chip cookies, limited to 3 instead of my usual amount, and I had ice cream. In my first week on this new plan I lost 5.6 lbs. I know I won't loose this kind of weight every week. In fact it isn't healthy to do so. But it sure is nice to see results with out having to suffer to get them. I know this is a lifestyle I can adjust to and live with.
Congrats on a great first week. My husband and I started Points Plus on Sunday, and overall I have been very impressed. Unlike you, I have been a yo-yo dieter for most of my adult life, mostly due to diving into a diet only to find myself feeling restricted after a few days. I don't feel that sense of restriction with the Points Plus plan at all. I'm blogging my progress with the plan and hope to see great results at my first weigh it. Keep up the great work!
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