diets

[MTK]

The working out thread got me thinking, what sort of diets has anyone had success with?

Personally I've been doing a low-carb diet for going on 3 years now. I'm just 5 lbs away from my goal of losing 50 lbs.

I've always been a big guy. When I graduated high school I was 6'3, 205. All the drinking and inactivity of college balloned me up to about 250. Then after college when my fiance and I moved in with each other, we ate like crap, all the boxed dinners, fries with every meal, etc.

At my heaviest I got up to 269, my blood pressure was high and that's what really got me worried. I had tried low-fat diets and I just couldn't stick with them for long. My fiance and I decided to start a low-carb diet and we've both lost a ton of weight and more importantly, stuck with it.

I started out using the Atkins approach, but I'm doing it my way now. I do eat bread occasionally, only whole wheat, and I know what other foods I can get away with, but I've found the real key for me is to avoid sugar at all cost.

I added regular exercise to my routine about 6 months ago, weights and cardio 3-4 times per week, and I've never felt better.

Low-carb diets catch alot of heat in the media, but for me it's the only way to go. It's not all about eating tons of red meat drowning in butter either. I eat more veggies than I ever did. Basically I avoid sugar and processed foods.

Any other diet success stories here?

[TheMalcolmConnection]

Matty, your story is strikingly similar to mine.

I was bigger all through high school and ended up graduating at about 190-195. Just like you said, the inactivity, buffets and drinking at college brought me up to 235 at graduation. As soon as I graduated I decided that was enough.

To make a long story very short, a low-carb diet is the way to go. And just like Matty said, it's not all about eating steaks, burgers and cheese. It is about picking the right kinds of meats like chicken and turkey.

When I was dieting I ate omelettes in the morning, had a Slim Fast bar between meals. I then had a deli Turkey and Cheese sandwich at lunch and then I would have grilled chicken and a salad for dinner.

Not only did losing the weight give me a lot of energy, I saw it as a life long chance and I decided I would never get heavy again. I hover between 180-185 depending on how active I want to be, and my metabolism is so high right now that I can have a weekend where I gorge myself on beer and bad meals and can drop any weight that I've lost in two days of hard workouts after the weekend.

If anyone besides Daseal is considering losing weight, just remember to stay dedicated for those first two weeks.

Those two weeks are the most brutal times of your life. You are starving, you are tired and more than likely, VERY cranky. But once you see the results, it is well worth it.

[BDBohnzie]

well, i had very similar success on the Atkins diet. I dropped 50 lbs last winter (Jan - Apr 04), and went from 320 to 270. Unfortunately, my bad habits (fast food, not watching what I eat) has taken me back up to 315. i'm on meds to stablize my blood pressure, and my goal is to eventually be done with them.

after I get married, my wife and I are going to sit down (she has always had problems with her weight) and figure out a plan of attack. she doesn't want to go back on Atkins (she's done it twice, losing between 25 and 50 both times), so exercise is definitely crucial to the plan. I lost that 50 before i started playing softball last spring, and was able to keep it off for the most part. I dropped 2 pant sizes, and noticed that my XXL shirts started to fit better, and that my dress shirts were big in the neck.

the biggest stereotype is that people on atkins live off of red meat, eggs and cheese. atkins is about picking and choosing healthy foods (chicken, fish, vegetables, etc). there was a surge of too many low carb products that were very high in fat. while on Atkins, i rarely used real eggs, always using Egg Substitutes when eating them, and turkey bacon is great.

I think I am going to start low carb, while my wife does what she pleases. it's much more disciplined, and have great results. as long as you don't do what i did, and go back to your bad habits, then low carb is a great way to go.

[MTK]

What I really like about low-carb is you have alot of choices and you don't always have to be hungry like with other diets.

You also see immediate results, when I'm strict with induction I can easily drop 3-4 pounds in a week.

What you have to do to be successful is make it a lifestyle change and not think of it as just a diet or a short-term solution.

I also advise to stay away from all the low-carb products on the store shelves these days. Alot of those products are junk and are loaded with hidden carbs. Stick with what low-carb is all about, natural unprocessed foods and stay away from sugar. I also drink plenty of water.

[TheMalcolmConnection]

My favorite low-carb recipe is to grill some chicken, grill some thinly sliced ham, put on some low-fat honey mustard and serve it open faced on one slice of rye bread. It's delicious, you get your serving of carbs and lots of protein.

[Daseal]

haha - the ad hovering above says: MEAT: IT'S WHAT's ROTTING IN YOUR COLON!

Anyhow, I think I also need to make a diet change. I drink more soda than I would like, I need to find something to replace it with. I already drink a solid amount of water, but I need something with some flavor to drink. What are other real big no-no foods!

Thanks.

[TheMalcolmConnection]

LOL LOL LOL... excellent.

[TheMalcolmConnection]

Pretty much foods that I've heard will hurt weight loss is mostly anything that ends in -ose on the package (glucose, fructose, sucrose). All are TERRIBLE sugars and will slow down your metabolism. I will difer to Joe on this one, but I think that's right.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by Daseal

I already drink a solid amount of water, but I need something with some flavor to drink.

I find myself drinking a lot of Propel water

[BDBohnzie]

Originally Posted by Daseal

haha - the ad hovering above says: MEAT: IT'S WHAT's ROTTING IN YOUR COLON!

Anyhow, I think I also need to make a diet change. I drink more soda than I would like, I need to find something to replace it with. I already drink a solid amount of water, but I need something with some flavor to drink. What are other real big no-no foods!

Thanks.

growing up, i drank a lot of sodas, and I can safely say that probably attributed to where I am today (not completely of course).

now, I drink 2-3 diet sodas/day, with the rest of the time drinking water. crystal light is pretty good, 5 calories per 8 oz serving, and is definitely more flavorful. there are flavored waters out there (Fruit2O, Propel) that are pretty good.

[TheMalcolmConnection]

Crystal Light is my favorite non-water drink that is healthy.

Definitely once you get a taste acquired for Diet sodas, they are almost as satisfying as regular, but remember even though they won't put weight ON you, you won't lose it because of the -oses that are in it.

[Daseal]

Well Malcolm - my goal is to ween myself off soda so the only time I drink it is if I ::shudder:: have to eat fast food, or in a cocktail!

I've been drinking a lot of gatorade lately too.

[MTK]

Once you get used to diet soda the real thing tastes way too sweet.

I usually only drink 1 diet soda per day, other than that it's water, flavored water and coffee.

Some say to avoid coffee but it's never been a problem for me.

[TheMalcolmConnection]

Originally Posted by Daseal

Well Malcolm - my goal is to ween myself off soda so the only time I drink it is if I ::shudder:: have to eat fast food, or in a cocktail!

I've been drinking a lot of gatorade lately too.

I know what you're saying man. Sometimes there are just foods that REQUIRE a Coke or Dr. Pepper to go with them.

General Tso's Chicken...
Pizza...
Burgers...

All NEED a soda with them. A non-diet soda.

[Schneed10]

Minute Maid makes a light lemonade that is really low on calories. I'm not sure how low, but I get it whenever I go to Wendy's. It tastes like real lemonade with hardly any sugar. If you wanted to consider taste to calorie ratio, I think this is your winner.