Diet and weightloss

[TECHFL227 422]

I have tried so many different diets to lose weight. I do good for a little while then I gain it all back.

Finally, in July my cousin told me about the 21 Day Fix which I had heard about but figured it was just another fad but wanted to give it a try. I got my containers and thought I was going to starve until I read how the program works. I can eat more food in a day than I ever thought, Just have to make the right choices. Each color coded container has a list of foods you can eat. When put together there are so many different meals you can make and it never gets old. I can take almost any recipe and make it fit into my plan. Basically with this plan you are cutting out a lot of the processed foods you would normally eat.There is also a 30 minute exercise you do each day. My first round I was on pint, nothing was getting in my way and I lost 16 lbs during that 3 weeks. Then I took a couple weeks off but didn't gain any weight back and went at it again. I have now completed 5 rounds of the program and am starting number 6 tomorrow.

I have lost almost 60 lbs  now and am still going. I even have Sinister eating the plan as well. Sinister has lost almost 20. This has been life changing for us and I feel so much better. I did get tired of the exercises so I ordered a new program called Cize and LOVE IT!

Anyone got any advice or tips to share that can help me along my journey? I may have lost 50+ pounds but I still have many more to lose. I am afraid I am going to hit a stopping point and not know where to go.

I just wanted to share a pic of @Sinister and I from July when I started and last weekend. And also my 50 lb pics from February 1. I only created this thread to let everyone know that it is possible, if I can do it, anyone can.

Bottom pictures were February 1 when i hit 50 lbs down.

[no_snacks 3,345]

I smell Photoshop 

That's fantastic, Tech.  Most diets work in the short term but are very hard to maintain or even dangerous for your health if you stay on them too long.  It sounds like you've found a diet way of eating that works for you and is easy to maintain for the long-term.  

My wife and I have been LCHF (Low carb - High Fat) for over two years now and have lost heaps of weight, even though I didn't really need to.  I weigh less now than I did when I was in my late teens, and haven't been to the gym once.  LCHF, Paleo and a few other ways of eating all share the same basic philosophy - clean eating and minimal/no processed foods.  Sounds like you're on to a similar eating plan.  Looking good, girl.  Keep it up. 

[Dodge 7,265]

I just started about a week ago. Right now I'm just getting my feet wet. Portion Control and Calorie Counting, along with a light workout regiment. I started at 205. The goal is to get to 185. This is all just a starting point.

[TECHFL227 422]

@no_snacks Lol, If I had photoshop I'd take an additional 50 off  Thank you for the compliment. I am trying very hard. Congrats on your loss as well, even if you didn't need it. It is very tough and a struggle for someone like me that loves food. That is why this is working now. There have been weeks I didn't exercise and I lost a little but not nearly as much as when I do exercise. We are taking a trip to KY the end of May and am hoping to be down another 10-15 by then but if not, I will be okay. I have fallen off track a couple times but have been good about getting back on track. Life throws many obstacles in the way. I am hoping to be to my high school weight by the end of summer. That is my goal. I knew I was big but now going back and looking at the pictures I am more embarrassed than I was then. My health was deteriorating and it was time to get on track. My kids need me here for the long haul.

@Dodge good luck on your weight loss. Getting started and sticking to it are the hardest parts. The thing with what we are doing is it cost me 60 bucks at the beginning to get my containers and dvd's but I took the information and created my own spreadsheets and tools as I had friends that wanted to try but couldn't afford it or did not want to shell out any money. I will be happy to share it with anyone that would like it.

[Dodge 7,265]

What program are you using @TECHFL227?

[TECHFL227 422]

1 minute ago, Dodge said:

What program are you using @TECHFL227?

It's called 21 Day Fix...I was skeptical at first because they show it on TV but it truly works and I do NOT use the shakeology which is a meal replacement they sell.

[ScottyB 2,086]

That's amazing Tech and Sinister, keep up the good work! 

 

A lot of these fad diets really make my blood boil. The fact that its called a 21 day fix would make me not even bother looking at it, but from what you have described it sounds like its on the right path (and it's certainly working for you). 

 

My biggest hates with these kind of diet plans are that they promise to help you quickly lose weight. That's the worst possible thing you can do because (as you have learned), you will bounce right back up. It's called Homeostasis. In this scenario, your body becomes accustomed to your weight. When you try to lose it, it will resist and will easily go back up to it if you stop your diet and exercise. Your body needs to have been at its new weight for a fairly long time for it to set a knew point where its comfortable at and will want to stay. Obviously there's a lot more at play here but that's one big reason it's so hard to lose and maintain that weight loss.

 

The word diet is meant to mean what you eat, not a way to restrict what you eat to lose weight. The problem when people diet is that they decide to do something which is unsustainable in the long run so while you may see results quickly, they won't last. 

 

There are many different types of diets that people follow, all of which I believe have their pros and cons and will affect everyone differently, but the one simple way to have a sustainable diet which will slowly allow you to lose weight and keep it off is to cut out anything processed and don't have any artificial sugar.

From what's left over, you can virtually eat anything you want. As an example, (I'm not sure of the calories but you get the idea), you could have one slice of pizza and still be starving, or you could eat 20 carrots and be completely full and still haven't had the same amount of calories.

 

I've never had a problem with my weight that I couldn't relatively easily change, but I have seen some friends battle with it and what blows my mind is they think they're doing everything right (and they are for the most part), but consistently "treat" themselves which cancels out any of the good they have done. This is what happens with restricting and unsustainable fad diets. You're always hungry and need to over indulge all the time.

 

The other big part is obviously exercise. Now this is just my theory based on the research I have done on it and from what I've seen from friends and in myself. This also depends on your current fitness level and weight otherwise you can destroy your joints. People will go walking (even long distances) and there weight doesn't seem to budge.

You need to do higher intensity exercises to lose weight. This will be measured by your heart rate and depending on your weight, shouldn't include anything that will over stress your joints. Your body will adapt to your exercise routine very quickly so you need to change it up and increase the intensity otherwise you will plateau. Most women refuse to lift weights under the assumption that they will become big and bulky which isn't true. Lifting weights is probably one of the best ways to lose weight. It's a very debatable topic of cardio vs weights for weight loss and I think doing both will be much better than doing one or the other.

 

Anyway, I've waffled on a lot. Obviously I'm very interested in the topic haha so I'll share one more little story of my own.

The reason I learnt all this was because I started to get into fitness with my goal to get fairly ripped and once you get into it you virtually become addicted. The adrenaline and endorphins released when pushing your body is amazing and is virtually the same thing that gets drug addicts hooked. Your mind is also in a much better place and you feel amazing and have so much energy!

At the peak of my fitness, I was working a very physical and fast paced job in the construction industry for 8+ hrs a day, 6 days a week, and would then go home at least 3 times a week and run on the treadmill for half an hour and then lift weights for another hour or so. I stopped drinking alcohol and ate fairly cleanly (cutting out most processed foods). At this stage, sugar and processed stuff seemed a little disgusting actually.

I was eating over 3000 calories a day (which was pretty hard to do eating cleanly) and I was still losing weight!! I started to plateau and I wanted to bulk up more as I was quite skinny so I started to eat more and ended up losing more weight. I ended up injuring my knee and was out of work and stopped exercising so I gradually put on weight over the next few years but yeah.

 

 

The body is an extremely efficient machine that will adapt to almost anything very quickly. If you're running marathons all the time, it will adapt and drop any excess weight, including all your muscle since you don't need much to run at a slower, steady pace, hence the way they look. On the other hand, if you are constantly running fast and moving/lifting heavy weights your body will want to keep just enough muscles to accomplish those tasks and will shed anything that's getting in the way of making it easy, like having excess fat, hence the way sprinters look. You obviously need to be eating enough calories to allow the body to grow and if you eat excess it will try and store it for a rainy day (as fat) when you starve yourself.

So with that in mind, sitting in an office chair for 8+ hours a day and then going for half an hour to an hours walk and then sitting down and watching tv means that body has no real need to shed the excess weight because it only needs to be lighter for half an hour a day and it can already cope with doing that.

 

Sorry for rambling so much haha

[TECHFL227 422]

Very good points @ScottyB. That is why I was skeptical in the beginning. Once joined I found out it was called 21 day fix because it takes 21 days to form a habit. It would take 21 days to be in the habit of eating correct portions, making good decisions,  and exercising.  I say we do it in rounds because every 21 days we go a week or 2 without using the containers and then back to it. I've gotten pretty good at knowing my measurements but feel I need to keep going back to them. I'm hoping I won't need the containers much longer. 

I tried a lot before this. I tried weight watchers, Jenny craig, nutrisystem, the cabbage soup diet, the body cleanse, and so on. It all worked for a short period of time and then it came right back when I quit.

With the plan we are on now we eat food that we love and I can make some amazing meals. I can pretty much eyeball a serving size now. Ive got the whole house eating better now. We don't buy nearly as much junk food as we used to. 

My last semester in college I took a health and wellness class which really opened my eyes and helped me realize it was time to do something. My cousin told me about this plan so I figured it was worth a shot.

[ScottyB 2,086]

That makes sense. It's a little misleading but probably works as a marketing tactic for all the people who want to quickly lose weight. We are getting pretty bad here too with serving sizes. We always eat way too much and probably end up eating a double serving size and still think it's one haha.

 

The good thing is that your body will adapt pretty quickly to your new routine (21 days apparently ) Just be careful about cutting too many calories at once. If you're used to eating large portions and you suddenly cut it in half then your body will go into starvation mode and store anything extra as fat. Unfortunately it's just a slow process if you want it to be sustainable but you guys seem on the right track.

 

Besides the weight loss which is usually the main motivator for people, how do you feel mentally? It may be too early to tell but you should start feeling a lot more bubbly and happier overall and have a lot more energy. It truly is amazing how much a bad diet can screw with your mind.

[Ninja 719]

Thats amazing!! Keep up the good work!

I just noticed: is the weightloss making @Sinister his beard grow?

[TECHFL227 422]

@ScottyB I completely agree with that. The marketing tactic does make it seem like in 21 days your weight will be gone. I did lose 16 lbs my first 21 days but that is mainly water weight and my body getting rid of a lot of junk. It has been no where near that big of a loss again in 3 weeks since then. The first couple weeks were rough while my body adjusted. We are going on 9 months so it is well adjusted now.  One days when I eat like I shouldn't I feel horrible. My body lets me know if I have eaten something I shouldn't have. My days of doing that are no where near as many as they were.

During the month of December and the holidays when we had family visiting we didn't eat right and I never exercised which hurt me in the long run. The good thing is though, I was able to get back on track once things calmed down. Last week we had family in and once again made horrible choices. I feel like I should not force my good eating habits on everyone else and I am horrible about giving in so I saw no point in trying. So then it takes about a week or two to get fully back on track. I am human and make many mistakes.

I did decide that next time someone visits I am not going to change the way I eat and if they do not want it they are free to get their own stuff. 

Overall I feel so much better as a person. I am not as disgusted looking at myself and I feel better being out in public. I am able to shop in the regular people clothes instead of just the plus size which makes me feel great. I do feel like a happier person and am proud of myself. 

I am getting better about NOT emotionally eating which I realize was a lot of my problem.

@Ninja Thank you. Yes the diet makes his beard grow, lol. On a serious note since we have been doing this my hair is healthier. 

[Whiteford99 146]

I've lost 30 pounds since the end of last December by drinking only water. Well, I have 2 beers and a shot each day, but cut out everything else.