Help with weight loss

Dakotah

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#41
I've been eating Paleo/Primal. And I've definitely dropped the weight I gained in the winter, and it's made it so much easier to get back into shape while not doing much at all. Paleo is fairly simple. No processed foods, no grain(this is hard, because of all the flour, corn by-products, and so on that is in our foods), and only natural carbs like sweet potatoes. You stock up on meat and veggies, and some fruit...but not a terrible amount because of the sugar. Some people cut out dairy, some don't. I did at first, then I've slowly added it back in. I cook with butter, olive oil, or coconut oil...never veggie oil or any other icky crap. No transfats...only natural saturated fats that's we've been eating forever.

I love it, because this is a diet I can eat EVERY DAY for the rest of forever...and be perfectly happy and healthy. And I AM happy and healthy. That is SUCH a huge deal to me! I have issues with depression and PCOS, hormonal crap and constantly tired. Not anymore. It isn't a fad diet that you're on for two weeks, lose the weight, get off it, and then gain the weight back. It's great for you, and the research and science behind it is solid. People with cholesterol issues, diabetes, people of all lifestyles and health issues, it works for everyone. No counting calories, either. You eat whatever you want, whenever you want. I'm probably averaging around 2500-3000 calories a day, doing next to nothing besides walking Zander, and I've gone down a couple pants sizes in the last 2 months. And I'm not even going all out. I still use typical creamer in my coffee, for example.

And, I can cheat every now and then without the world ending. Although, I feel so crappy afterwards that I really don't want to cheat! I even have DH on board, and he's a junk food and soda addict. He's lost weight, too, although he didn't have much to lose at all...he's just toned up a bit.

There's a group on facebook if you'd like more info or support. It's a pretty small group, but we all post recipes we've tried, research we've found, blogs, and some of our daily happenings.
Daddy does this and OMG he has had MAJOR awesomeness come from this.
He has nerve agent poisoning (was in Desert Storm when he got it), this diet has helped with that. His elbows and knees were shot to sh!t, now they are better. And he has lost 80 lbs or so, since last summer. He didn't do Paleo for the last 30-40 days and no weight has came back on. It really is amazing. (And he never really worked out while doing this diet until just recently, like 2 weeks ago. He would camping once a month before 2 weeks ago, but that was about it as far as exercising goes).

I am going to start doing it. Actually I started last week. And I don't really have an appetite cause I am drinking water like its going out of style, and if you know me, I use to HATE water, like HATE. Now its not that bad.

I drink a cup of coffee in the morning (the way I like it which is coffee, half milk, and 2 tsps of sugar), I don't eat breakfast but that is just me, I eat soup or some sort of meat with some veggies for lunch, a small snack, then small dinner. Of course, you eat how you please as long as the paleo diet says okay. I just don't eat a lot cause of all of my water intake.

Best of luck, Amber! You will find something that works for you. :)
 
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#42
Yep. I've tried gluten-free, because I'm not entirely sure if I have Crohn's or Celiac's, but after switching over completely and just doing no grain or starch what so ever, it's really made a difference. I don't live in the bathroom anymore. Lol. I think I started out at around 1000 calories, too, but I ended up gaining weight because I wasn't eating enough and not drinking enough water. Once I up'd calorie and water intake, the weight fell off super quick.

It really is a easy diet to follow. Here's the "Primal Food Pyramid":

Holy crap that was a big picture! I'll link it instead:

Picture!
Yah, I went ahead and cut out grains even though there's a lot of gluten free stuff available.

I didn't think I really had a problem with it, but going through a 2 week+ detox coming off of it made a believer out of me. I don't think it's necessarily because wheat, itself, in its natural state is bad for us, but as badly tampered with as it is, from the seed stage, to all the chemicals from growing to processing . . . One thing I do miss is oats. I've cut them out since they're grains, even though they don't contain gluten. And baked potatoes.
 

FG167

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#43
You take six drops six times a day or nine drops four times a day.
I am so intrigued by this and I really want to try it but I can't bring myself to think that low of calories would be healthy with how active I am.

I've been eating Paleo/Primal.
This is primarily what I am doing. Not strictly but I would say 95%. I have lost 3.5 lbs in one week and my goal is to lose about 15 more lbs...hopefully. I *love* fruits/veggies/chicken/venison so it's going really well for me. But, I cheat a little and eat string cheese and greek yogurt too. Overall just the Primal stuff though, like the pyramid is really close to my day-to-day diet. I hope it sticks, I am tired of yo-yo-ing all the time...
 

Lyzelle

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#44
I haven't yo-yo'ed yet on this diet, and I've been on it since February. I do continue to lose steadily, unless I've been cheating too much. I've messed with it a lot, though, to find what works perfectly for me. I lost more weight quicker without dairy, but I didn't find it a major issue so I added it back in last month. I also still eat potatoes, baked and mashed quite regularly. I'm still losing, just not dropping. Some people find that they will actually gain on dairy. Some people don't eat chicken, some do. Some are okay with nuts, others most definitely are not. It's a very workable diet, nothing terribly strict about it so it's easy to customize to your daily life. And my grocery bill isn't any higher, which is another thing I really like. I think my grocery bills are actually BETTER, because all the meat and veggies last me longer since they are put into meals and snacks.

The funny thing about today's grain is that it just isn't natural any more. It's been genetically modified to sustain a large population, when originally most of these plants were nothing more than weeds. And it's in everything....even in the meat and dairy, which is why Primal/Paleo really stresses organic or grassfed meat and dairy. After reading everything I have, grain and corn in particular is just nasty to think about. Salad dressings are hard to come by too, since most have soybean oil in them. Baking isn't so hard, though, since I can substitute coconut flour.
 
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#45
With the HCG diet, for people who are very active they often do add some extra protein/calories with great success. It definitely is something you have to monitor and really listen to yourself during (which is one of the reasons IMO it works so well)
 
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#47
FWIW, my nutritionist has said do not ever go under 1200 calories a day.
Totally true, but the HCG (an actual hormone or a properly prepared homeopathc preparation of) changes that. It releases your fat stores so your body is still able to utilize 1500 calories or more a day. There are some drops that are not properly done, just made for the fad, and people can tell a difference. They go into starvation mode, lose muscle mass, etc. If done properly, you loose belly fat first, your energy stays up and you dont lose muscle mass (well, if you are loosing a lot of weight you do loose some just because you have to)

Its also done short term, 26-43 days and then you go to a high (good) fat and protein diet.
 

Laurelin

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#48
Honestly everything I'm reading says that HCG that is over the counter and not prescribed is illegal and not proven. Doesn't seem safe to me.
 

Zhucca

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#49
This HCG diet seems like bunk.

I mean, I'm sure it does work. Anyone will lose weight on a 500 calorie a day diet. That's pretty miserable though.

For those who have quite a bit of weight to lose, it doesn't seem sustainable long term. It doesn't teach you proper eating habits, as you're going from one extreme to the other. (eating too much, to eating not enough) Losing weight is changing the way you live, at least for me. It's being more active and making the right food choices. Most people need 500-800 calories a day just for body functions - without adding in daily life. Just not something I would do.
 

Dekka

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#50
I haven't read the whole thread. I have lost a bunch (and more size than my number might indicate) by going low carb. I have tried weight watchers, I took up running and even raced, I tried very low calorie, I have hit the gym. NOTHING worked like low carb is working.

I have more energy, more 'motivation' to stick to the diet. Though one issue with low carb is the 'keto flu' Carbs are very addictive and you end up going through withdrawal which can suck.

I ended up doing a paper for my 4th year biochem course on leptin, insulin and obesity and doing very well on it. If anyone wants a copy just PM me. It explains how low carb works (for those who it works for) Its particularly important if diabetes is a risk. There is also a documentary on youtube called Fat Head. About an hour into the show it goes into why the unnaturally high carb diet North Americans is the leading cause of obesity and diabetes.
 

Lyzelle

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#51
I have more energy, more 'motivation' to stick to the diet. Though one issue with low carb is the 'keto flu' Carbs are very addictive and you end up going through withdrawal which can suck.

I ended up doing a paper for my 4th year biochem course on leptin, insulin and obesity and doing very well on it. If anyone wants a copy just PM me. It explains how low carb works (for those who it works for) Its particularly important if diabetes is a risk. There is also a documentary on youtube called Fat Head. About an hour into the show it goes into why the unnaturally high carb diet North Americans is the leading cause of obesity and diabetes.
I've only found a few video clips from Fathead on youtube, can you link the full one? I know it's on Netflix, though, if anyone has Netflix and a free few hours. It's an awesome bit, and really what got me started on the low carb and Primal stuff. Super easy to understand and follow, too. Gives loads of info.

Also, high fat intake is great for the carb flu. And if you are cutting carbs, you really should be upping the saturated fats anyway. But it works. This last time I tried low carb/Primal, I didn't have carb flu at all. Didn't even notice. Natural fats are good for you. :)
 

nikkiluvsu15

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#52
This HCG diet seems like bunk.

I mean, I'm sure it does work. Anyone will lose weight on a 500 calorie a day diet. That's pretty miserable though.

For those who have quite a bit of weight to lose, it doesn't seem sustainable long term. It doesn't teach you proper eating habits, as you're going from one extreme to the other. (eating too much, to eating not enough) Losing weight is changing the way you live, at least for me. It's being more active and making the right food choices. Most people need 500-800 calories a day just for body functions - without adding in daily life. Just not something I would do.
I agree!

I don't think I'd be able to survive just eating 500 calories a day, my "target" is 1200 calories. Sometimes I eat under, at or above that... but it is always more than 500 calories. Heck, most of the time my lunch alone is 500 calories (my favorite meal of the day!). LOL

I did really bad this past week (pretty much just snacked on now good things) and I'm trying to get into a routine of eating at certain times and eating healthier things. It was so much easier at school because I had a certain time when I had to be up to eat breakfast, certain time I had to eat lunch, etc., now I can pretty much do whatever.

For me - which I understand doesn't always work for everyone - just eating less, eating better and exercising more have made a tremendous impact. That is also how my sister lost like 120 pounds, so it definitely works. It just takes time and dedication, like everything else in life :)
 

Laurelin

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#53
My target set by my nutritionist is about 1400 calories. Spread out over eating every 2-3 hours of the day. I feel like I eat constantly. But it's almost always a protein and then something else like a veggie or a fruit. I am not doing super low carb like some are on here but just cutting it back quite a bit. If I have carb, it's a fruit or veggie or sometimes a whole grain. I try to eat mostly veggies and meat.

Tomorrow I am starting my exercise program, which will be 30 mins once a day plus walking like I usually do for now. Hoping to bump it up to 2x a day.

I lost a lot of weight when I just cut back on unhealthy food and upped my exercise a lot. Didn't think about it at the time but I mostly cut out processed foods and carbs and didn't count calories at all. I'm sure my calorie intake was lower but not too low. I felt great and it was sustainable in the long run if I hadn't gotten off track when my mom died. (I know it's an excuse, it really is my fault I gained it back).

I feel like so many people focus on losing weight in X amount of time that you miss out on the big goal which is a healthy lifestyle. Trust me, I'd love to just drop my excess weight in a couple weeks but these quick diets are not sustainable.
 

Dekka

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#54
I've only found a few video clips from Fathead on youtube, can you link the full one? I know it's on Netflix, though, if anyone has Netflix and a free few hours. It's an awesome bit, and really what got me started on the low carb and Primal stuff. Super easy to understand and follow, too. Gives loads of info.

Also, high fat intake is great for the carb flu. And if you are cutting carbs, you really should be upping the saturated fats anyway. But it works. This last time I tried low carb/Primal, I didn't have carb flu at all. Didn't even notice. Natural fats are good for you. :)
As I am doing keto.. lots of natural fats :) I did a quick look and I can't find it. I know I have emailed it so if I remember I will look for it and post it. I sent it to my mom (who had already lost 50+ pounds doing low carb after a life of not being able to lose weight by calorie restriction)
 
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#55
Honestly everything I'm reading says that HCG that is over the counter and not prescribed is illegal and not proven. Doesn't seem safe to me.
Mine was prescribed (not over the counter) and totally legal. I researched the crap out of it before I started as I will NOT do fad crash diets. This, IF DONE THE PROPER WAY, is not that and yes, is very safe and effetive. Its purpose is to reset the hypothalamus. For people who watch what they eat, exercise and still loose nothing, its very nice to be able to help your body reset.

I get migraines very easily if I do not get enough calories. I get shaky, and sick. On the HCG, nope, didnt happen. I had great energy and felt better than usual.

Its not for everyone for sure, and there is a TON of misinformation (both pro and con) out there on it.
 

Dekka

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#57
LOL that food pyramid is what I am doing too, though not an athlete so I don't need the starchy tubers etc.
 

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