Diet Help!

[Emjohnson8]

I live on St. John (how lucky am I by the way?) BUT I cannot seem to stick to a diet! It is so frustrating sometimes especially to think it's cheaper for me to go to the beach bar and get a burger (YUM!!!) than to go to Starfish market to buy groceries. I love salads and have been very good at ordering them whenever I go out and the exercise I get is always in the water swimming a BUNCH windsurfing not to mention I walk everywhere! If anyone has some helpful information or would like to help me loose this extra weight I would love to hear any advice I can get. This is getting out of hand! Oh man I can just hear the slice of chocolate thunder cake calling me name....


HURRY!!!

[California Girl]

Still order that burger at the beach bar, but order it with no bun and no mayo. See if you can get fruit or salad in place of the fries. Craving chocolate? Get some sugar-free Nestle' Quick and have a cup of cocoa or a glass of chocolate milk.

[Berlingirl]

Water, drink lots of water. It flushes out your system and fills you up at the same time. It has to become a habit. Carry a bottle of water with you at all times. Stay away from the Beach Bar or any other place that has burgers you can't turn down. Starfish has bags of Casaer salad...it's 6.99 with dressing included. Don't put yourself in temptations way if you can help it. Move more. You need to ramp up your system and get more exercise. You walk, well, walk more. Walk at least 3 miles a day. Treat it as exercise and not just transportation. And yes, your lucky you live on STJ! Good luck to you! It's not easy, but don't give up.

[Emjohnson8]

Thanks Guys! Ill really try this!

[byado18]

Exercise. Order the burger and take half of it home for another meal.

Are you on Facebook -- Join us on "VIOL Island Curves"....PM me if you need more info.....

[Teresa_Rae]

I rapidly gained about 15 lbs from my thyroid condition and once I got treatment I stopped gaining weight but it was still really hard to lose the extra pounds. I was still a healthy weight but some of my pants didn't fit anymore and I was very frustrated. I tried everything for like 3 years...I've always watched what I ate and exercised, but the only thing that has worked for me is Weight Watchers. The points tracking thing is so very helpful. I don't go to the meetings, I just do the online membership. And the nice thing about WW is that in addition to your daily allotment of points there are 35 weekly bonus points so you can splurge on a burger at the Beach Bar

[nwjohn]

I can't say enough good things about WW. I have been following their points plan for several years, mostly off, but recently on again. What I have to tell myself is that even though I get plenty of exercise (I'm a runner) I just can't eat and drink the way I used to. One thing that WW has helped with is making permanent food choices - real to diet coke, butter to light margarine, mayo to light mayo, real ice cream to frozen yogurt, portion control, and checking the points values of foods I like. For instance, a Top Pot donut (local Seattle chain) is 13 points, a Crispy Creme only 5. I use the online system, but I also go to meetings. Last summer I lost 25 pounds. I've put 15 back since I stopped going to meetings, and drinking more, so it is time to return to what worked. Food discipline is just plain hard. Best of luck!

[Emjohnson8]

I have heard SO many good things about weight waters as well, my mom and sister have both been on the program and have always been successful. My only thing is, is that living down here on the island its hard to get access to that sort of thing, I dont have a VI bank account etc. Also I feel like in a way I need to prove to myself that I can do it with just good old fashion hard work and discipline! I looked up water aerobics stuff online because Im always in the water so we'll see if this helps. How long does it take to loose 20 lbs?...

grrr!

[RickG]

All diet plans end up with similar long term results. Sticking with an approach that works for you seems to get the best results.

Some approaches that work:

http://www.thedietchannel.com/weightloss.htm

For me, cutting out snacks, no alcohol during the week, and normal exercise works to maintain my weight where I want it. For faster weight loss, weight watchers points and South Beach get the same results.

The final injustice, men lose weight more easily than women.

Cheers, RickG (snacks last night, but no alcohol)

[nwjohn]

I totally agree that guys lose faster. It makes my wife furious. The great thing about WW online is you can track from anywhere, even your iPhone!

[17th Hole]

I found a system that works for me. I only eat one full healthy meal a day - dinner. I drink water and diet soda, and eat little snacks throughout the day (crackers, cheese, etc). I use multivitamins to help with any deficiencies that might result from this system. The hardest part at first was getting past the hunger pains that would typically show up around lunch time. After a few days, those go away so now a little snack is all I need. I was able to lose about 25 lbs right away. Now I maintain a healthy weight that fluctuates up and down no more than 5 pounds. Turns out that your body doesn't really need much fuel to run and is extremely efficient at using the fuel you do give it. Fight through those hunger pains and eventually they will go away. You'll also discover a great side benefit from skipping lunch - more money! Good luck!

[Lovermont]

First things... I am 65 pounds lighter today than I was 10 years ago. The journey has had it's ups and downs (literally), but thankfully, mostly down. I just deal with some seasonal swings - gain weight in the winter, lose it in the summer.
I'm always hesitant to apply a "brand" to weight loss success, because after about 30 years of battling my weight, I know the brand does not lose the weight for you. When people ask me how I've lost weight, I usually say "by consuming fewer calories than I burn." Because, at the end of the day, that's all it's really about.
That being said, there are a couple of approaches I like.
1) WeighWatchers
The real key to WW is tracking everything you put into your mouth and tracking your exercise. It's an exercise in accounting; all debits & credits. Whether it's the points that they use now, or the old fashioned calorie approach, it's about being really aware and in tune with what you put into your body to fuel it. One thing that I like about WW, is that they're clear that your battle will not magically end when you reach your goal. The habits must continue on forever. The WW website also gives you a lot of tools to help you keep your focus.
2) Isagenix
I have been using Isagenix products for the last 1.5 months. I had contacted Pia after she mentioned the products on another thread because I was desperate to lose some weight before my STJ trip. Isagenix worked. I lost 13 pounds in the 20 days before I left on vacation. But, I've gotta say, you consume very few calories on the program. It's sort of a modified fast, with your nutrients coming from the Isagenix products. I need to lose another 5-10 pounds in the next month (I know... not very feasible) so I'm continuing on the products. And I know I will probably revert back to these products when I'm looking for a "quick fix".
At the end of the day, the types of behavior modifications that have already been mentioned in other forumite's posts are always going to be good things. I'm afraid for me personally, I can't plan to eat out and drink alcohol if I'm trying to lose weight.

Good luck though. I always just wish good health to everyone!

Lovermont

[ripnero]

I have had really good luck with south beach - 1st 2 weeks is super strict on no carbs and you get it out of your system and then you gradually bring back the "right" carbs in moderation. no drinking the 1st 2 weeks which was hard. It is easy to go out to eat and live. it was a hard adjustment getting the carbs out of you system, but it gives you more energy in the end - i really like it!

[Teresa_Rae]

I totally agree that guys lose faster. It makes my wife furious. The great thing about WW online is you can track from anywhere, even your iPhone!

There a bunch of people at work doing Weight Watchers right now. The men are dropping pounds so much more quickly than the women and they even get like an extra 8 or 10 points a day. The ladies are a little frustrated with the guys strutting around bragging about their weight loss

Everybody was talking about it constantly so I finally just signed up for the online part and now I'm a fan. It is really a lifestyle not a diet.

[AH]

Another WW on-line fan. My son,daughter-in-law and I have all lost a good,healthy amount of weight. We started mid January. Yes my son has lost more weight and quicker than us women but he also had more to lose to begin with. He has been on the "chubby side" since he was 6 years old and it is wonderful to finally see a plan that works for him. We don't attend meetings but we do have each other to answer to so that helps. Exercise is also a part of our plan but we each do what we like. I love the WII Fit. They belong to a gym and they do a tremendous amount of walking. Sounds like you are getting a good amount of exercise doing things you enjoy which is what we should all be doing. Let's face it, if you don't enjoy it you won't continue to do it.
Good luck to you and keep us up to date on your success.
AH