My secret to weight loss.

[myriam4psi]

Hey guys, I just wanted to share my biggest secret about losing weight: it is something called 'The amazing soup diet', from the website Good Housekeeping. This is not a crash diet where you only eat soup. On the contrary, this is a very healthy and balanced 7-day meal plan. You eat about 1200 calories every day of real food. The thing that I like the most about this diet is that you can always eat vegetables or soup between meals, so you never really feel hungry (although I must say that, as a sugar addict, it can be tough for the mind). Two years ago, I lost 6 pounds in a week on it. Right now, I am on my third day and I have already lost 3 pounds. Because I am a vegetarian, I made some changes to the meal plans so that it fits with my values and lifestyle; it works really well! However, you need to figure out the exercise part, and the 'how to maintain the weight loss' part by yourself. This is pretty much the only drawback, in my opinion. Oh, and it can become quite pricey: fresh fruits and vegetables are costly!

If you want, you can look at it here: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/diet-plans/amazing-soup-diet-1007

[Willpower]

This is just another fad diet marketed to women.  On any diet you will lose alot of weight initially as it is mostly water weight.  The problem with "fad diets" are that you can't stay on them indefinately and you gain the weight back.  I used Weight Watchers for the entire 2014 year  and lost 40 pounds and continue to keep the weight off.  I believe that WW is the only diet approved by the AMA.  The first 2 weeks on WW I lost 8 pounds.  The remaining weeks of the year I lost on average .25-.75 pounds per week.  I am not sure that WW is a diet rather than a cognizant lifestyle.  I used the online program.  WW also has a program/menu/recipes for vegetarians.  I discontinued WW due to expense.  However, by that time I had retrained myself as to my eating habits.  I now rely exclusively on My Fitness Pal and Fitbit-as they have excellent software.  I do however continue to use several WW recipes.

[myriam4psi]

Have you looked at this diet? If so, what makes you think that it is "just another fad diet marketed to women"? There is a fair amount of proteins, healthy fats and carbs in this meal plan. 

[Deyadissa]

I think the point is that the controlled diets such as these, you don't really want to end up eating soup for the rest of your life. So people get off the product, and then gain all their weight back. Effective weight loss is to portion control with the current foods you eat, not going on a food program.

[HelenaFitbit]

@myriam4psi I'm afraid I'm agreeing with @Willpower and @Deyadissa on this one. 

Strong and sustainable weight loss is achieved by a variety of meals, that cover your macros (protein, fats and carbohydrates) and your micros (vitamins, minerals, sodium, etc) throughout your meals; already including a proper caloric deficit to achieve weight loss. 

While the Soup diet is covering some of your macros, your micros may fall behind with time. Also, in the long run, you'd want to change your diet and have eggs, bacon, bread, etc; you will have a night out or a day where sticking to the diet is not possible, or you might get tired from soups. While you steer away from this diet, you'll crave some of the things you denied in the plan and eventually bounce back to your weight. I've been on similar diets and this has happened. 

My recommendation is to manage your caloric budget and make sure your micros and macros are covered, get a food scale and measure everything. Also, increase your water intake and find different sources or variations for the meals you love that won't take a hit on your caloric budget.

Hope this helps! Good luck 

[TandemWalker]

Excellent post @HelenaFitbit .

One thing I would add is to manage your diet so as to keep a healthy balance with your energy needs (work, activities, etc.)

Also, some fats and proteins are better than others - bacon is certainly something that you would find on my list of heathly foods.

Similarly, good carbs are good for you, in moderation and properly timed; but bad carbs are bad, no matter  what the quantity or the timing. Carbohydrates that come from white bread, white rice, pastry, sugary sodas and other highly processed foods can and will make you fat in the long run. If you eat a lot of these so-called bad carbs, they will increase your risk for disease.

Unfortunately in America, our diets are far too rich in sodium and sugar; and unless we manage to keep both of these at bay, it will catch up with us.

I don't totally disagree however with @myriam4psi 's post, provided it's only for a short sprint, of no more than a week to ten days. It's definitely as way to shock your metabolism and flush the system. I do something similar perhaps once or twice a year; and every time I do, I find it a lot easier afterwards to restrict my normal food intake to a set amount of calories. 

My take.

    TW     

(If this tip solved the problem for you, please mark this post solved, as this will be helpful to other users experiencing similar issues.)

[ohphotom]

TandemWalker - Much of what you posted is already "out there." So I guess it is credible. That doesn't mean it was merely repetitive. I felt it was a good summation and of value to many. It is my hope you continue to offer helping others . . . and achieve reaching your own goals as well.

[TandemWalker]

Thank you for that @ohphotom - much appreciated, really, you just made my day.

As for my goals, well I took a bit of a set back in August last year due to surgery. It took me a good six months or so to recover. Weight wise, I am almost at the level I was pre-surgery. Exercise wise, I can pretty much do everything I used to do, and then some.  My endurance level however is about half what it used to be. So instead of doing a one-hour workout on the stationary bike, I'll do two half-hour segments, three or four hours apart. Last summer, prior to my surgery, I could easily do 25 miles on the bike (street bike), just stopping twice along the way to stay hydrated. I doubt I'll be able to do this in the spring ... But that's OK. Perhaps a longer pit stop at the half-way mark will do the trick. We'll see.

My goal has always been the same since I started with my Fitbit One back in August 2013. And that is to do better today than I did yesterday. The nice thing about putting it this way is that if I'm off target one day, this scheme automatically cuts me some slack the next day! 

Again, thank you for your post. Have a nice day.

    TW     

(If this tip solved the problem for you, please mark this post solved, as this will be helpful to other users experiencing similar issues.)

[ohphotom]

TW - How things are evolving seems to have you heading in the right direction . You seem willing to improve gradually, which is good. Too often people want to get to top performance immediately . . . only to pay the price with an injury, causing a relapse.

Your concept of a daily setback for your guide the next day sounds like a good concept. Whille not the same, it sort of reflects what I've tried to convince FitBit to utilize: intervals based of effort, not time or distance. Of course, the tool to do that is the heart rate monitor already built in. In theory, if you're having a bad day, your heart rate will reflect that and speed up. In effect, actual performance is then shortened and/or reduced when needed. Reading that in an article had me thinking that was ingenious, IF it worked.

To make that more accessible, I suggested they incorporate it setting off the alarm when going outside parameters. Constanttly checking the reading visually doesn't have to be so distracting. Instead, I'd hope the device would alert me, so I can concentrate more on avoiding potholes and other competitors as well as form while in a foot race rather than monitoring the metrics.

So keep up the effort and enjoy the results. Feeling you had a good approach resuted in me giving you my first favorable, thumbs-up response. Keep in touch if you'd like and let me know how progress is going.

Ron

[MarilynL]

I like the idea of that Goodhouse keeping diet but when I looked at it ....no 😞 All those grains and muffins and dairy etc. Too much junk. 

The key seems to be in the 1200-1300Kcal eating range and to eat vegetable soup when hungry so I am going to take that advice and see how it goes. So thanks for bringing the idea to my attention 🙂

[MarilynL]

Myriam4psi - I thank you for causing such a food discussion 🙂

In my opinion I cant imagine why one could not eat soup for the rest of our lives when feeling hungry. Its much better than any junk food that for sure.

Having said that, what I did not like about the Housekeeping diet is that there is a lot of junk in it too and a lot of dairy. I know that diary is supposed to be good for calcium etc but for any of you with oesteoporosis I would like to reccomend the book "Building Bone Vitality" by Any Loy Lanou Ph D and Michael Castleman where they explain why drinking milk etc is not the answer and actually part of the problem and how to prevent bone loss and reverse oesteporosis. It primarily is though lots of vegetables and walking amongst other things. What I like about the book is that they bring plenty of medical proofs for what they say so you can judge  yourself.

I dont like WW for myself, as I feel that there are way to many charbs and grains and processed stuff. Just too fluid for me.  Also, it see me that even medical science is coming round to seeing that real salt intake is for sure not detrimental to your health but just the opposite. If you have cravings for salt it could be that your magnesium and potasium is out of wack.

Having said all this, I think the way to loose weight is to fix the way we are eating and choose a way of eating that suits our taste buds and stick to it, no mixing this and that diet.

To my way of thinking its simple ( and difficult.)  Cut the sugar and white stuff. Eat fresh and whole foods ie Vegetables , some fruit, a bit of organic protein, healthy fats eg olives, advocardo some seeds and nuts in moderation and water . Make you food taste delicious use fresh herbs and spices, and there you go:) As I said, easier said than done but it sure works.

[dancefoxtrot]

myrium

Hello. I agree with you about eating healthy soup. Also agree that you can have a healthy vegetarian diet as well. I make bean soup with greens, onions, tomatoes, garlic, carrots and spices. Yummy and filling too. Some of us can eat whole grains, veggies and fruits, seeds and nuts and are satisfied and healthy. 

Not everyone reverts to junky processed foods. 

All the best,

Barbara G

[dancefoxtrot]

Deyadissa

Well I disagree about eating what you are currently eating IF you are eating junk, processed foods. Eating good quality veggies, fruit, lean protein and whole grains gives the body nutrients it needs to sustain, build and repair itself. Many of us eat this way for years and see the junk food as poison to our health. Not all of us revert to poor choices but just need to monitor our portion sizes of healthy foods. 

Just another point of view.

Barb

[dancefoxtrot]

myrium

If it is healthy and works for you do it. If you need to change it later on do it. Trust your own judgement and knowledge and keep stepping.

Barb

[BurdsNest]

Weight Watchers isn't a diet, but a way of life & making healthier choices. I lost 40pds & have kept it off for almost two years now. It really is no mystery. ....choices, portion control, activity, common sense. Diets will certainly help you lose weight........but then, it eventually returns. We all alternate a few pds from day to day, even hour to hour.....normal. But gaining 20pds is getting out of cotrol. That's when you have to reel it back. Good luck!

[timidlady]

I am a vegetarian, too. I have only been one for the last few years. I don't know any other vegetarians but I'm glad I'm not the only vegetarian struggling with weight loss. I do fine until people try and give me meat. I am ovo but that's not enough for some of my friends. I think the important thing is making sure that you are getting enough protiens when you cut calories. It is really hard to maintain a solid percentage of protein intake because it is tied so closely to your calories. Carrots are a suprisingly great protein source and I try and do raw veggies for a snack. I like to snack on sugar snap peas (raw) because they are sweet. I don't care for Quinoa or Tempeh. The easiest low calorie protien source will always be meat. It gives you the most protein for your calories. I know I gave myself an injury last year during weight loss and I'm pretty sure it's because my protein dropped below 11% and I think I had some lean muscle loss when I touched on my ideal weight. So be careful and watch that if you are really active. It's great that you are a vegetarian and keep at it! It can be hard when people poopoo your lifestyle choice. 

[DominicJ]

It is a fad diet, in that its a short term fix.

You arent going to eat 1200calories of food and then snack soup for the rest of your life.

That said, as long as you recognise that fact, and you clearly do, theres nothing wrong with it.

[ohphotom]

timidlady - Having been raised on a farm, I've always eaten meat. At least I trim away the fat though! Perhaps not accurate, but I've read that if you are a vegetarian and you run a marathon, you will lose muscle mass. Can you confirm that from what you've been told and read? I noted you keyed into it to watch protein intake "if you are really active." I'm not trying to change your lifestyle choices. In fact, I support it. For most, I suspect it will solve more challenges than it creates. Either way, I wish you every success in reaching your goals! - Ron

[dancefoxtrot]

Hi Timidlady,

I like lentils and beans as well as eggs for protein. I like to eat salmon each week or too. Mushrooms have some protein also. I think it is vital to eat adequate protein for muscle building and maintenance. 

Pay them no mind, those that poo poo your choice to eat mostly veggies. Don't give their beliefs and opinions any power. 

Best of health to you,

Barbara