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Tutsbear 03-25-2012 11:47 AM

Life Style Change as Opposed To a "Diet"
 
So as I've mentioned before I am doing the HCG diet. Anyone who is familiar with this diet knows that it is quite difficult and you don't eat a lot. In my mind it is an unreasonable diet to maintain for the rest of your life. I plan to use this diet to help me lose my weight and then adjust my permanent eating habits to maintain this weight for the rest of my life. What I am hoping for is to get some input on how I can best accomplish this goal. I think that dieting is like a band aid to an infected wound and doesn't fix the overall problem.
According to what I've researched: for my height and ideal weight, if I am working out at least 3 times a week (which is easily doable for me) then I can eat around 1700 calories a day. What I am curious about is will this actually maintain my weight? or will I start to gain the weight back doing this? Is counting calories really a good way to maintain a healthy weight?
Another idea I had was to basically combine the HCG diet with my regular eating habits. What I would do in this situation is I would eat double the allowed portions of the HCG diet every other day (without the drops), and on the other days I would eat my normal diet. I believe this could work because what I eat when on the diet is extremely healthy and I would then be consuming about 1000 calories on those days.
I think a big part of my problem as to why I keep gaining weight back, or gained it in the first place... Is that I have a very big portion control problem, this is rooted in some psychological issues from when I was a child, which I understand. But I still find myself eating too much and I can't stop. For a while I was eating a small portion (like a normal portion for a normal fit person) and then afterwards I would eat beans until I was full. This really worked for me until I started getting very bloated and my stomach hurt frequently.
I'm sorry this is such a long post, but I am thinking about the future. I want to make a healthy change in my life and since I have no idea how to keep the weight off I'm hoping that other individuals here might be able to help. I don't want to eat this crappy, bland, flavorless food for the rest of my life. I would rather have a normal life, with a good diet that maintains my weight.
I will also say that when I am not dieting I usually eat pretty healthy, maybe my worst vice is cheese. I literally do not eat sweets (I don't like them), I don't eat anything processed or frozen, I use healthy "oils," and I try to limit my carbohydrate intake.
Any feedback you guys can give me on limiting portion control, keeping a healthy diet, counting calories, or combining diets with normal eating would be greatly appreciated. THANKS EVERYONE!

kkotelman 03-26-2012 12:23 AM

Take a look at the / paleo diet / caveman diet / ancestral diet. It took me about 4-5 months to go fully primal, and learn to listen to my hunger and wean off grain, but when I did I realized I didn't need to count calories if I just mostly stayed on the plan. My crazy rollercoaster of hunger vs exercise vs calories went away. And I still lost weight with just walking 1-3 miles 1-2 times a week. I also feel better than I can ever remember.

Eat fresh, organic, pasture/grass fed:
vegetables, meat, fruits, nuts and fat in that order of preference of volume of food.
Or
by order of calories fat, meat, vegetables, and fruit.

This is way simplified
Primal Blueprint Food Pyramid

frenchhen3 03-26-2012 01:30 AM

Here's my thing on Portion control. I put on a plate HALF of what I think a portion "should be" in today's mindset. (Our mindset of what a portion is in today's food world is WAY TOO MUCH!) I give that one to my spouse who is not dieting nor needs to. I then put half of what I gave him on my plate. I sit and MINDFULLY eat it. I TASTE it. I think about eating, what I am eating, how it tastes... remembering each bite. Then while he is still eating his larger portion I think about my level of fullness... am I full? am I satisfied? Most times, I am... or I am nearly full, if I am still a bit hungry, then I will have fruit or a yogurt or something else that is a low calorie food to "top it off". That's just how I do it. You might find that is weird or not for you. It works for me. Though I am not in a deadline hurry to lose my weight. I am nearing the last 10 pounds of my goal, so learning how I will need to eat to maintain is very much to the fore in my habits right now.

volleyballgranny 03-26-2012 03:59 AM


Originally Posted by kkotelman (Post 77279)
Take a look at the / paleo diet / caveman diet / ancestral diet. It took me about 4-5 months to go fully primal, and learn to listen to my hunger and wean off grain, but when I did I realized I didn't need to count calories if I just mostly stayed on the plan. My crazy rollercoaster of hunger vs exercise vs calories went away. And I still lost weight with just walking 1-3 miles 1-2 times a week. I also feel better than I can ever remember.

Eat fresh, organic, pasture/grass fed:
vegetables, meat, fruits, nuts and fat in that order of preference of volume of food.
Or
by order of calories fat, meat, vegetables, and fruit.

This is way simplified
Primal Blueprint Food Pyramid

Atkins for me--but the same organic requirement. It really makes a difference.

Originally Posted by Tutsbear (Post 77240)
So as I've mentioned before I am doing the HCG diet. Anyone who is familiar with this diet knows that it is quite difficult and you don't eat a lot. In my mind it is an unreasonable diet to maintain for the rest of your life. I plan to use this diet to help me lose my weight and then adjust my permanent eating habits to maintain this weight for the rest of my life. What I am hoping for is to get some input on how I can best accomplish this goal. I think that dieting is like a band aid to an infected wound and doesn't fix the overall problem.
According to what I've researched: for my height and ideal weight, if I am working out at least 3 times a week (which is easily doable for me) then I can eat around 1700 calories a day. What I am curious about is will this actually maintain my weight? or will I start to gain the weight back doing this? Is counting calories really a good way to maintain a healthy weight?
Another idea I had was to basically combine the HCG diet with my regular eating habits. What I would do in this situation is I would eat double the allowed portions of the HCG diet every other day (without the drops), and on the other days I would eat my normal diet. I believe this could work because what I eat when on the diet is extremely healthy and I would then be consuming about 1000 calories on those days.
I think a big part of my problem as to why I keep gaining weight back, or gained it in the first place... Is that I have a very big portion control problem, this is rooted in some psychological issues from when I was a child, which I understand. But I still find myself eating too much and I can't stop. For a while I was eating a small portion (like a normal portion for a normal fit person) and then afterwards I would eat beans until I was full. This really worked for me until I started getting very bloated and my stomach hurt frequently.
I'm sorry this is such a long post, but I am thinking about the future. I want to make a healthy change in my life and since I have no idea how to keep the weight off I'm hoping that other individuals here might be able to help. I don't want to eat this crappy, bland, flavorless food for the rest of my life. I would rather have a normal life, with a good diet that maintains my weight.
I will also say that when I am not dieting I usually eat pretty healthy, maybe my worst vice is cheese. I literally do not eat sweets (I don't like them), I don't eat anything processed or frozen, I use healthy "oils," and I try to limit my carbohydrate intake.
Any feedback you guys can give me on limiting portion control, keeping a healthy diet, counting calories, or combining diets with normal eating would be greatly appreciated. THANKS EVERYONE!

Look into the Atkins or Paleo lifestyles. In my opinion, they are the easiest to maintain--and the healthiest. Like you, I am a cheese/avocado person--you can keep the sweets. Oh, once in a great while, I want a piece of cheesecake--but I need the cheese far more than I want flour.

Tutsbear 03-29-2012 03:24 PM

Thank you everyone for your suggestions so far. I will definitely try to incorporate as many as I can. I have heard that eating slowly is a real key to keeping weight off as well as eating natural foods. I will admit that I do tend to eat fast, so that could be a big part of my problem.


Originally Posted by volleyballgranny (Post 77303)
Atkins for me--but the same organic requirement. It really makes a difference.


Look into the Atkins or Paleo lifestyles. In my opinion, they are the easiest to maintain--and the healthiest. Like you, I am a cheese/avocado person--you can keep the sweets. Oh, once in a great while, I want a piece of cheesecake--but I need the cheese far more than I want flour.

Wow thank you for the feedback! I will definitely check into those life style changes. I have to admit I have heard kind of bad things from people who did the atkins diet so I never even considered it. But from what you said it sounds a lot like the way I already like to eat so it might work for me.:)

kkotelman 03-30-2012 12:52 AM


Originally Posted by Tutsbear (Post 77765)
I have to admit I have heard kind of bad things from people who did the atkins diet so I never even considered it.

I have had friends say the same thing....but they were eating the processed low carb crap that Atkins and others market and not eating fresh real food.

I'll have to try the mindfull eating idea.

Good luck

LiterateGriffin 03-31-2012 04:32 AM


Originally Posted by kkotelman (Post 77784)
I have had friends say the same thing....but they were eating the processed low carb crap that Atkins and others market and not eating fresh real food.

The original Atkins plan was to AVOID processed foods, and eat healthy whole foods.

Then there was a low-fat "craze" for awhile, about a decade ago, and the marketing folks went crazy with the manufactured foods... which are actually very counter to the type of diet described by Dr. Atkins in his books.

I'll admit, I usually have a box of Atkins bars somewhere in the house. I'll take some with me when traveling, for example, or stash one in the car in case I need a boost after a work-out at the gym. (Sometimes it makes the difference between me being "good to drive" or not... I've been known to over-do it.)

But when I go to the grocery store? I don't buy foods that have ingredients, for the most part. (I do buy cream, butter, and cheese, but they are the main exceptions.) Instead, I buy... INGREDIENTS. Fresh meats, as organic as I can afford. Fresh eggs. Fresh produce. Nuts, and nut-flours. Avocados. With a big effort to get as much organic as I can.

It's a lifestyle change, but one that's very enjoyable. I FEEL much better when I eat this way. I have more energy, and a number of health issues just... vanish.

volleyballgranny 04-02-2012 03:37 AM


Originally Posted by LiterateGriffin (Post 77879)
The original Atkins plan was to AVOID processed foods, and eat healthy whole foods.

Then there was a low-fat "craze" for awhile, about a decade ago, and the marketing folks went crazy with the manufactured foods... which are actually very counter to the type of diet described by Dr. Atkins in his books.

I'll admit, I usually have a box of Atkins bars somewhere in the house. I'll take some with me when traveling, for example, or stash one in the car in case I need a boost after a work-out at the gym. (Sometimes it makes the difference between me being "good to drive" or not... I've been known to over-do it.)

But when I go to the grocery store? I don't buy foods that have ingredients, for the most part. (I do buy cream, butter, and cheese, but they are the main exceptions.) Instead, I buy... INGREDIENTS. Fresh meats, as organic as I can afford. Fresh eggs. Fresh produce. Nuts, and nut-flours. Avocados. With a big effort to get as much organic as I can.

It's a lifestyle change, but one that's very enjoyable. I FEEL much better when I eat this way. I have more energy, and a number of health issues just... vanish.

I'm with you. But, each time, I fall into the 'carb creep' trap and wake up needing to lose that last 20 lbs again. This time around, I can't afford it. My big carb creep item was always corn tortilla chips...now that I am allergic to corn, that won't happen.

Tutsbear 04-12-2012 12:25 PM

Honestly my biggest problem is probably my schooling efforts, which cause extreme stress on me (there really is a reason why doctors get paid so much). When I get very stressed I will stress eat, I've been trying more and more to turn that stress eating into activity or eating something healthy. I'm actually really scared for the time when I finish my diet, because I do not want to gain the weight back. My boyfriend has agreed to try the atkins diet with me so if I start gaining the weight back I will probably try it.
In the interim I'm going to try calorie counting and see how that pans out for me. I do well with knowing exactly how much of a certain food I'm allowed to have in a day. So maybe once I start counting calories on a regular basis I will get better at it. I think I'll try doing it while I'm on the HCG diet for practice. Plus making homemade mayonnaise and stuff like that.


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