Any ideas on alternative weight loss methods?
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free skin care · Tue May 17, 2005 5:17 pm

Has anyone tried acupuncture or hypnosis to lose weight?

I need to drop 10 lbs in the next month and Atkins has lost its charm (seems the more times I "do Atkins" the less weight I lose Sad

I've been a lifetime member at WW, done Scarsdale (remember that one?), and just about every diet you can think of. Like 95% of the population I fall off the wagon each and every time and now I need a quick fix (vacation ahead Wink

).

Sooooo has anyone been successful with either method above and if so, is 10 lbs attainable in a month?

TIA Very Happy

Anya

free skin care · Tue May 17, 2005 6:09 pm

I did WW before...lost 80 pounds in 6 months. I've gained a bit back and am on it again, but am not as motivated as the time before.

free skin care · Tue May 17, 2005 7:19 pm

lianne wrote:

I did WW before...lost 80 pounds in 6 months. I've gained a bit back and am on it again, but am not as motivated as the time before.

Lianne, I just rejoined WW on line. Last April I lost twenty pounds doing WW. After hurting my ankle and getting no exercise I gained back eight (up a size in cloths). I am going to Bermuda June 6th and determined to get back into my cloths from last summer. WW seems the only way for me to lose weight and keep it off. Perhaps 20 lbs doesn't seem like that much weight to lose for goal but I am only barely 5'2" and tiny boned.

Good luck Lianne.

Anya: As far as losing 10 lbs. in a month it depends on how much you have to lose (the more you have to lose the quicker the initial loss). In my case there is no way I could lose that much in a month unless I went on a crash diet. At my age that just would not be wise. Sticking to WW I would guess I will lose 5 lbs. considering my height and weight now.

free skin care · Tue May 17, 2005 7:34 pm

anya wrote:

Has anyone tried acupuncture or hypnosis to lose weight?

I need to drop 10 lbs in the next month and Atkins has lost its charm (seems the more times I "do Atkins" the less weight I lose Sad

I've been a lifetime member at WW, done Scarsdale (remember that one?), and just about every diet you can think of. Like 95% of the population I fall off the wagon each and every time and now I need a quick fix (vacation ahead Wink

).

Sooooo has anyone been successful with either method above and if so, is 10 lbs attainable in a month?

TIA Very Happy

Anya

I know what you mean about the more you "do" it, the less you seem to lose. In uni I was on and off Atkins every month it seemed. Laughing

Now, I am always "on" pretty much, but is a lifestyle change...and blah blah blah. Anyway, to make my body "burn" again, I did something a bit drastic and probably v unhealthy. You have to restrict your calories to 1000 per day and make sure that those calories are 80% from fat sources. Sounds gross, I know. An example of what you could eat would be plain, high fat cream cheese. When I did it, I only ate cream cheese for about 10 days...just a spoon at a time, every time I felt hungry. I know this is not healthy, but, it works. If you have the Atkins book, it is in there, in the section for resistence or something like that. Good Luck!!

free skin care · Tue May 17, 2005 8:46 pm

Did anyone watch Oprah on Tuesday?? She had her famous anti aging show and did a segment on a new book out called "French Women Don't Get Fat" (or something to that effect). Only 11% of the female population in France over overweight compared to 67% of North American women. North American women are obsessed with dieting, French women are not. They eat EVERYTHING by using the 3 bite rule and by balancing food consumption and savoring every bite versus wolfing food down at a fast food place. As for exercise, well you won't see fitness centers in France, there are none. Women WALK everywhere. I'd REALLY love to read this book.

free skin care · Wed May 18, 2005 1:32 am

I don't like diets that cut out food groups. You can lose 10lbs in a month, if you have more to lose it's easier.

The most comfortable way you can lose weight and shape up is by doing exercise you enjoy. I've started going to dance classes twice a week and tell a difference on my legs, lost an inch and half and one off my waist, that's without cutting anything out, I've just increased my activity level. It's what I would recommend.

If that's not your thing. BRB.

free skin care · Wed May 18, 2005 1:42 am

and I'm back!

there is this book - The Ultimate New York Body Plan: Just Two Weeks to a Total Transformation (book and Region 2 DVD) by David Kirsch

I've used it before - not followed the diet though. Egg white omelettes and shakes for two weeks ain't my thing but for the truly committed I think people would see big results.

free skin care · Wed May 18, 2005 5:03 am

You guys make me laugh, I know we have all been there - I tell you the best way to lose weight is get a food intolerance - a week on the shitter and you will soon be a stone lighter Laughing

Seriously though so many foods make me ill dairy, gluton, nuts, soya that I have had no choice but to watch what I eat.
I think once you start label reading you realise how much of the stuff we actually eat is crap and a lot of it is psycological, we are bombarded with these images of what a perfect figure (and flawless skin) should look like and then on the other hand with everything we should have - the lifestyle, good food and wine.
The best diets I've ever been on is when I was forced to eat only what my body could tollerate meat, vegies and potatoes, basically I was eating an old fashioned war diet and having my set square meals every day.
I do enjoy the preparing of a meal and sitting down to eat together. If you are going to drink wine with your meal, rather than have a bottle every night, just have one once a week and splash out on a really expensive quality wine.
I think our lifestyles are to blame a lot, I have to make a real effert to find the time to sit down and for us all to eat together, but when we do you realise how much it was worth it.
I think what I am getting at is that when it comes to food and dieting we just need to bring back some old fashioned values Very Happy

Oh and avoid anything with a long chemically added ingredient list and worse of all SUGAR!!!!

free skin care · Wed May 18, 2005 8:09 am

I've been on a pseudoAtkins diet for about 2 years. I love it I'm back to my college weight (at near 50) and wrinkles went away before using any creams (and blood sugar and pressure are under control without meds). Why do I stay on it?

Well I don't want diabetes my blood sugar went wild on a low fat diet. Also recent studies have shown that high proten and good fat diets mimic calorie restriction in anti-aging (HgH and good hormone levels stay high).

What do I mean by pseudo Atkins.

I eat all lean meats and fish, nothing white except cauliflower, flax beard and flax every day, olive oil, butter, macadamia nut oil (and now as introduced to me on this forum avocado oil). All nonstarchy veggies especially dark greens and avocados, articokes, asparagus etc.

I eat non starchy fruits especially those with high phytochemicals (blueberries esp but all berries, melon etc). You can get frozen blueberries without sugar at COSTCO and such fairly cheaply. I have a nut and seed granola (home-made) that I use for cereal and baking. I eat dairy, limit cheese (just to keep calories down) and only eat sugar-free yogurt (some are awful for u because of the high sugar content). I also eat almost no prepackaged food. One of the only exceptions is bread from a local bakery that is made form flax and bran and has very low glycemic impact, soy nutlettes, and Hi-lo cereal (soy grits and wheat gluten).

I make liberal use of herbs and spices esp ginger and turmeric (anti-inflammatories), hot peppers, garlic and cinnamon.

I bake with nut flours, flaxseed meal, ground coconut, wheat gluten, and soy isolate sometimes with oat flour. I also add the granola for muffins and cookies.

I eat dark chocolate the >75% cocoa kind and drink red wine often. I make an effort to drink more than 8 - 8oz glasses of water per day and drink green tea most days (can get Earl green and mint green).

You can't lose weight without lowering calories
the low glycemic index diet helps in several ways it lowers triglycerides in nearly everybody and raises HDL in many people, it lessens cravings, and leads to greater lean mass (I continued to shape up after reaching my goal weight everyone kept saying they thought I was still losing). These factors are confirmed by many studies and denied by none. The more controversial points whether you burn more or dont absorb as many calories has mixed support or denial studies. It may depend on the person or other factors in any event if it is real it is not a huge effect and you still need to decrease calories to lose weight.

I do still have a french pastry now and then I believe selective indulgence is a good thing but I will stay on this way of eating forever because of it's wonderful impact on my health.

free skin care · Wed May 18, 2005 5:34 pm

As to quick weight loss...... I have been a longtime believer in limiting the white stuff (and that isn't easy in Philadelphia, home of the cheesesteak and soft pretzel!) BUT when I thought I could stand to lose quick, I followed Atkins Induction.... 10.5lbs in 6 days! I am devoted to weight lifting and have been for years, so I really don't have a lot of extra to lose, I didn't think it would work so well......

It isn't all that fun, but it seems to me that there are a lot of new and tasty products out there (that were not there when I tried Atkins "by the book" several years ago!) Good luck to you, however you tackle it. Water and exercise should be a big focus no matter what kind of eating plan you adopt.

free skin care · Wed May 18, 2005 5:41 pm

Wow! Thanks for all the input guys Very Happy

I should have given you a bit more info in the first post - I'm 5'3" and currently weigh 145 lbs Shock

I'd like to get down to a realistic 135 lbs before my vacation at the end of June.

It seems to me that the first time you try a certain diet, it works like a charm, but repeated attempts at the same diet don't give the same results. That's why I was wondering about hypnosis or acupuncture......

Rosebud, your comment about a week of the runs, got me thinking....anyone ever tried Colonic Irrigation ? Gawd, I'm getting desparate now Laughing

Eve mentioned exercise LOL!! That sounds too much like hard work - I sit at a desk all day and sit at a desk all night + I have this "thing" about breaking a sweat! I might give that book you mentioned a looksee though.
The suggestions in this thread are great for long term weight loss, but its the quick fix I'm looking for right now!! Looks like its back to Atkins again Sad

Faith, did you only eat cream cheese for 10 days, or just when you felt like a snack?

Anya

free skin care · Wed May 18, 2005 6:22 pm

Anya: I really do not think there is a miracle fast weight loss diet. The old fashioned Stillman 4 day diet is a very calorie controlled protein green veggie diet. Basically grapefruit, salad, stringbeans, eggs and chicken with day 2 a meatless day with hardboiled eggs for the protein. I've done this several times and it's good for a 5 pound loss or so (some of this must be water. If you want good skin and to stay healthy and thin a long term good diet is really important.

free skin care · Wed May 18, 2005 10:07 pm

Anya,

ONLY cream cheese. Laughing

And you can't go crazy with it either. Gotta keep it under 1000 calories. I really never felt hungry though...

I think they recommend that you do this for no more than 2 weeks, then go into the introduction phase. When you do this, I would keep your caloric intake to around 1000. Pick up some of those sticks you can pee on, to check if you are burning. When you go back to the intro phase, after the resistence phase, make sure you keep burning. If it stops, you gotta go back to the cream cheese.

There were a few options for food, if I can remember. Another one is deviled eggs...but with about 2 tbsp of mayo per egg. YUCK!! or, I think you could just drink a (few) tbsp of oil. These options made me feel sick, that is why I went on "the cream cheese diet". Very Happy

free skin care · Wed May 18, 2005 10:51 pm

restricting your calories to anything less than 1500 per day is very unhealthy and shouldn't be done for more than 2 days straight.

You put your body into starvation mode and it stores everything that you put into it. The only people who should go down to 1000 are people that are bed-bound.

Also I'd like to point out that if you only eat one type of food your body is severely lacking the proper vitamins and nutrients, which will not help you lose weight.

They key is proper balance.

free skin care · Mon May 23, 2005 8:12 am

The David Kirsch book is great... I have the accompanying exercise dvd and I adore it. Best workout ever....

Uhhhh before anybody does the Stillman diet... Remember that the milder version of it was the Scarsdale diet by Herman Tarnower. Tarnower is no longer with us as his mistrees murdered him. Her legal defense? His diet drove her mad!

ROFL !!!!!! Honest....it is NOT a joke

free skin care · Mon May 23, 2005 8:34 am

She was MAD at him for fooling around before the diet.

Any diet that's lot's of lean protein and green veggies is good for you. Super calorie restriction is not great for long periods.

Alas, the only way to stay thin is stay away from processed foods and eat moderately (I guess except if you want to get driven mad enough to kill someone. Prison food is probably quite slimming because you wouldn't want to eat it).

free skin care · Mon May 23, 2005 8:46 am

Ahhhh Sharky I was joking...sort of. You're right - she killed him because he was cheating on her and was also apparently a sadistic bastard. But, her attorneys really did attempt to provide a defense for her based on the fact that she had been driven insane by fat cravings etc.

Personally, I found Scarsdale diet limiting. I've kept myself on a modified Atkins Diet for years with great success. I never really had much of a weight problem to start with, and I'm an exercise freak because I have alot of excess energy and find that being physically active is a great stress reliever. But, I also eat enough for a family of four and, were not for the katee-version-of-atkins I think I'd pay for it.

Being Italian, I love my pasta and pizza, but when I indulge, I follow it with a couple of days of a stricter Atkins regimen.

In reality, my diet is actually damn close to the South Beach Diet. A friend of mine who is in his fifties and absolutely had to drop 50 lbs for health reasons tried every diet under the sun. Nothing was effective until he did South Beach... Palatable, easy to stay on, and the immediate results are very encouraging when someone has more than 20 or 25 lbs to take off....

free skin care · Mon May 23, 2005 10:55 am

Cut Salt, Sugar and Oil...you will see the result in a week.

free skin care · Mon May 23, 2005 12:46 pm

White flour exhibits almost exactly the same biological response as sugar. Also some oils really are heart protective; Olive oils, flaxseed meal, macadamia nut oil and even a little butter (Omega 3s, oleic acid and conjugated linoleic acids are the good actors). On one of the mediteranean diet studies the fat level was near 40% but mostly from olives and olive oil and the diet was heart healthy.

free skin care · Tue May 24, 2005 4:22 am

I think that the only effective way to lose weight is to reduce the amount of calories and exercise. Radical, I know!

If you cut out saturated/ hydrolysed fats, sugar, and swap half your carbs from rice pasta bread for the same amount of green or red veggies and fruit (assuming you don't actually live off carbs only) and cook your own food, you will lose weight.

If you combine this with exercise (you won't get sweaty if you swim!), even if it is just gentle walking, you will lose more faster and be healthier Smile

Tue May 24, 2005 10:16 am

Get a good protein shake powder(I mixed mine with OJ to better the taste) and some multivitamins. Drink 2 shakes a day, eat a small meal,and stay under 1000 calories and you can do it. I lost 12 lb in 6 weeks. At that point I was 167 lb and have continued to lose cycling on an off the meal replacements. If you are not going to exercise then you really have to watch the calories to stay under 1000.

free skin care · Tue May 24, 2005 11:07 am

I agree with lianne.........there is no way you can survive with less than 1500 calories a day.........i have been on a diet - since i've had my children....my oldest one is 10 years old............i have tried the atkins diet 3 times - each time......i was ill with cold like fever symtoms.......apart from the bad breath.......

I have got a whole bookshelf of diet books........hay diet, cabbage diet, cambridge diet........you name it .....i've got it........i always end up going back to counting calories............i find that if i try to survive on 1000 - 1300 calories a day........i crave for food every second of the day...........and always end up failing on either day 1 or day 2........at this moment.......i have started on 1400 - 1500 calories a day......still sticking to it on day 7.(today).....and don't feel deprived at all.........also i do 10,000 steps (walking) a day.......i myself hate excercising.....but i walk my kids to school....and walk to the shops..........

In my opinion........i always come back to calorie counting..........

regards Karina Very Happy

oh! and if you don't like exercise....then why not try tae bo.by Billy Banks on DVD.............i have recently discovered it....it's very enjoying.......... Wink

free skin care · Tue May 24, 2005 12:05 pm

I found this a while ago whilst surfing over on the handbag forums. Its taken from Paul McKenna's book and its for those of us who have cravings for something particular..

**********************************
The Craving Buster

1. Focus on your craving and rate it on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the lowest, 10 being the highest. It's important to do this so you can work out how much you've reduced it.

2. Continue to think about the food you're craving and taking 2 fingers of either hand, tap about 10 times firmly under each eye.

3. Now tap under your collar bone.

4. Keep thinking about the food and tap under your armpit. (any one)

5. Now, place your other hand infront of you and tap between your ring finger and your pinkie.

6. Open your eyes - now close them.

7. Keep tapping, open your eyes and look down to the right and down to the left.

8. Keep tapping and rotate your eyes round 360 degrees clockwise, and now 360 degrees anti-clockwise.

9. Still thinking of the food, hum the first few lines of "Happy Birthday" out loud.

10. Now count out loud from 1 to 5 (1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

11. Now, once again hum the first few lines of "Happy Birthday" out loud.

12. Repeat the beginning of the sequence. Still thinking about the food you were craving, tap under each eye about 10 times.

13. Now tap under your collarbone.

14. Now tap under your armpit.

Stop and check, on a scale of 1 to 10, what number is your craving?

*************************************

The person who posted the above on handbag.com adds that Paul McKenna says that it may take a few goes to get rid of your craving completely, depending on how strong it is etc.

Now I have a serious problem when it comes to white bread (and not knowing when to stop eating it). I tried doing the above and you'll never believe it but I think it really does work. I'm too scared to do it with chocolate cos I don't want to not eat that!

I'd be really interested to know if it works for other people. Go on, give it a shot, and let us know if it works for you! Very Happy

free skin care · Tue May 24, 2005 2:46 pm

I posted earlier that I rejoined WW online. I am down 4 lbs. in two weeks. Dancing

I leave on my 40th anniversary cruise June 6th. Just might be able to get back into last years summer cloths. hmm

For my lifestyle WW is the best. I just can't deny myself any particular food group. Laughing

Believe me if I didn't rejoin I would have slowly packed on the twenty I lost last year. Talk about depressing. Worked so hard to lose it. Unfortunately, the older I get the harder it is to lose weight.

free skin care · Tue May 24, 2005 7:20 pm

rzecka,

Sounds very interesting! Smile

I will be sure to try this the next time I am craving something and let you know. Very Happy

Winnie,

Good for you!! Success is excellent motivation to continue...so are cute clothes in smaller sizes!! Very Happy

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