sorry to ask but, good "diets"?

[gavin]

Posted: 8/4/04 at 9:44pm

hey everyone,

i think i have seen threads about this topic before so im sorry to post this again if its a common occurrence, but i was wondering what "diets" you guys have tried with much success. im more looking to change the way that i eat then looking to go on a diet ... its just confusing. some people say cut carbs, some say cut calories. some say just eat "better" and dont worry about that stuff...what have you guys done that has resulted in success?

i have been wanting to loose some weight and start living healthier for a little while now, but i recently got a great job in fashion and its obviously very important to project a good image. i think getting this job is just the boost i needed.

i got the new york city ballet workout dvd. i plan on using that everyday and then maybe cutting down to 3-5 days a week after the first month or so. i didnt buy it because im a dancer, i bought it using the logic that dancers are always so hot - why not give it a try.

anyway, like i said, im sorry if this thread is played out, but i would really appreciate it if any of you would be kind enough to share information with me. im looking to start ASAP, tomorrow if possible. like i said im just really unsure of a good way to go, there are so many ways to go when it comes to this. another thing that would be SO helpful is listing the basic things that you eat everyday...so i have some kind of guide to go by!

thanks everyone! :)

[judy_in_disguise]

Posted: 8/4/04 at 9:45pm

I don't know if the States have one but in Canada we have a food guide that has reccomended servings from each food group.
The healthiest way to live is to follow that religiously.
It's everything in moderation, really, and enough exercize.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 8/5/04 at 12:49am

seriously--South Beach is the best way to go. Aside from the first 2 weeks, it isn't a diet so much as a way of life. South Beach isn't low carb--it's about eating the good carbs. Check it out. I've never had such a successful and easy time losing weight--been on it (with random naughtiness) since January 12.

[Phantom2]

Posted: 8/5/04 at 12:52am

Random Naughtiness = 4 White Russians

Updated On: 8/5/04 at 12:52 AM

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 8/5/04 at 12:54am

hey--they were tasty! almost as tasty as your new icon...

[Bret]

Posted: 8/5/04 at 1:04am

I really like Weight Watchers. The points system is really easy to use, and it works very well, as well as teaching you portion control and healthy eating habits.

[Nina]

Posted: 8/5/04 at 12:37pm

The South Beach diet does seem to be the healthiest one on the market. I know a few people who have had success with it and they don't need to severely limit the good, nutritional foods.

The best way to loose weight and stay healthy is to cut sugar and white flour products from your diet as much as possible. Eat extra helpings of veggies with meals. Exercise in some way that is enjoyable. The Ballet video sounds good, Dance allows you to stretch, increase flexibility in muscles and joints and burn calories. The exercise needs to something fun or you risk not sticking with it.

Most of all, don't let your job influence your body image. I know it's hard. Those of us who work in certain industries feel the pressure to be extremely thin. Try to keep it in perspective.

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 8/5/04 at 12:39pm

Have sex four times per day

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 8/5/04 at 12:46pm

I find it fascinating that The South Beach Diet is essentially the same as the Atkins Diet except you can have cottage cheese and a couple of other variations, yet South Beach is championed as being so good for you and Atkins is decried as dangerous. They're essentially the same thing.

Updated On: 8/5/04 at 12:46 PM

[mamamia sammy]

Posted: 8/5/04 at 12:48pm

Obviously you have not studied either diet very closely if you think that they're the same thing.

Updated On: 8/5/04 at 12:48 PM

[zoran912]

Posted: 8/5/04 at 12:50pm

I am personally anti-diet. I am a huge advocate of simply exercising and watching what you eat. That is all that it really takes. I lost nearly thirty pounds in about three months second semester sophomore year. I started dancing and I cut back my lunchtime meal because it made me feel nauseous when dancing. I still ate healthy breakfasts and dinners. My lunch, however, was cut down to two apples, two powerbars, and a whole lot of water. It probably wasn't all that healthy, but it worked and, after a year and a half, I haven't regained the weight.

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 8/5/04 at 12:56pm

From the south beach diet website:

"It retains the best part of the Atkins regime – meat – while losing the tenet that all carbs should be avoided."

Um, Atkins at NO point says ALL carbs should be avoided. It cuts out all unhealthy carbs while allowing you to continue to eat (in moderation) healthy sources of carbohydrate.

[DAME]

Posted: 8/5/04 at 12:58pm

The South Beach plan seems to really be working for alot of people. As far as The Zone; it became such a fad out here in Los Angeles; that in rebelion I gained 15 pounds. Honestly; dedicat a minimum of 45 minutes to cardio at least 5 times a week and everything else will come.

[mamamia sammy]

Posted: 8/5/04 at 1:02pm

Atkins also says that you can eat all the red meat and bacon that you want. The South Beach Diet does not say that.

So, um, no they are not the same thing.

That would be like saying that all diets are the same and that would just be an ignorant comment.

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 8/5/04 at 1:05pm

Which is what I didn't say.

South Beach Siet does work, I wasn't saying it didn't. Atkins works too. But the fact that South Beach Plan takes pot shots at the Atkins Diet when it is essentially following the same sort of blueprint strikes me as hypocritical.

[mamamia sammy]

Posted: 8/5/04 at 1:08pm

Maybe they take pot shots at it because while you may lose weight it's extremely bad for your heart and your cholesterol.

It's comparing people who eat steak and bacon for every meal to people who eat chicken and fish.

You do the math and tell me why one is different.

[mominator]

Posted: 8/5/04 at 1:08pm

What worked for me was (and still does) eat only some of what is in front of you (Forget the starving children in whereever)
Push the plate away, and put the water glass in front of you. This act has really helped me maintain a healthy weight. I also walk ALOT everyday sometimes as much as 4 or 5 miles. This is what works for me.
My sister-in-law has lost 45 pounds on Atkins, while many other friends swear by South Beach.
Good Luck!

[Jon]

Posted: 8/5/04 at 1:38pm

I like South Beach because you are not "counting carbs" - you are not saying, "a bagel has 24 carbs but an english muffin has 21..." etc. etc.

South Beach basically says, NO WHITE FLOUR - STICK TO WHOLE GRAINS FOR YOUR CARBS - PERIOD.

[jrb_actor]

Posted: 8/5/04 at 1:51pm

exactly--with South Beach, you do not count carbs. You just choose good carbs. And it apparently is different enough that whenever I go out to eat with an Atkins person, they seem to be much stricter than I on what carbs they can eat and how much.

However, because Atkins is stricter, I can choose Atkins products in the store as I know they fit well within my boundaries.

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 8/5/04 at 2:05pm

I ruv ur bush **** jrb

[TheQuibbler]

Posted: 8/5/04 at 2:10pm

If you drink soda, stop. It gives you extra calories and sugar that turn into fat. You'll lose a couple pounds from dropping soda. Plus, water is better for you anyway and soda has nothing nutritional in it.

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 8/5/04 at 3:06pm

It's comparing people who eat steak and bacon for every meal to people who eat chicken and fish.

And I thought I was the one making the ignorant statements. On Atkins you don't eat steak and bacon for every meal. Nor are you at any point advised to. What's more, you can eat chicken and fish instead if you wanted. So if I compared someone who was on Atkins but stuck to chicken and fish plus an intake of healthy carbohydrate to someone doing the same thing on the South Beach Diet, the difference would be what?

[mamamia sammy]

Posted: 8/5/04 at 3:15pm

The difference would be that Atkins says there is nothing wrong with and even encourages people to eat steak and bacon. They make the claim that all proteins are the same (whether they be bacon or fish). That's the difference. Anymore questions?

Updated On: 8/5/04 at 03:15 PM

[Plum]

Posted: 8/5/04 at 3:29pm

Stay the heck away from Atkins- any diet that is essentially intended to give you the metabolism of a diabetic seems wrong to me.

There has been one long-term study of the effects of the U.S. "food pyramid" diet vs. the Atkins diet, when both are combined with excercise. Atkins helps you lose weight faster, but the food pyramid will eventually get you to the same level. The difference is that Atkins causes more health problems, and people who continue on it eventually start gaining back some weight.

So try to follow a conventional, food pyramid-ish diet if you can. Try to eat whole grains, brown rice and sugar, etc. any time you can and avoid too much over-refined food. Avoid foods that have a chemical name as their first ingredient. :) Making your own food rather than thawing something from a box is always best. Eat chicken and fish rather than red meat, but don't be a afraid to have a hamburger once in a while.

Oh, and this is important- eat slowly. When you gorge yourself your body doesn't have time to send your brain "I'm full" signals, so you eat too much. Take your time and don't feel obligated to finish everything on your plate, especially at restaurants, which consistently serve way too much. Similarly, don't snack while doing something like watching TV, because you won't pay attention to how much you're eating.

If you're willing, try eating 4 meals a day instead of 3- breakfast in the morning, lunch around noon, another lunch around 4, and dinner around 8. Keep the meal sizes moderate, and the shorter spaces between them will help you avoid snacking. I was forced by the schedule of my dining hall in college to have 3 meals a day. For some mysterious reason I've lost 7 pounds this summer, just by getting my meal schedule (and the ability to cook for myself) back.

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 8/5/04 at 5:10pm

OK I just went back and re-read both the Atkins and South Beach Diet websites to make sure I wasn't completely losing my mind. On neither site did I find it mentioned that you shouldn't eat steak but only stick to chicken and fish. On neither site was the chowing down on steak and bacon encouraged. Both sites ask you to give up the exact same foods in its 14 day induction period (plus you have to give up nuts on Atkins as well). Then you start reintroducing banished foods and finding the right balance of everything to ensure the weight you have lost stays off for good. South Beach introduces them faster than Atkins. And so that is why I stand by my point that they are essentially the same diet. The key word is essentially. They're not identical. But there are so many strong similarities that to choose one over the other is fair enough, but to try and claim that one is so fabulously healthy while the other will give you a heart attack is very narrow minded. There. I am done.