2003 yearly update. Wow, it has been almost three years, and I am still in size 12. I confess though to not losing those last ten to fifteen very pesky pounds. Currently my weight is hovering around 150-155 pounds. I have done some research on the Atkins diet that many of my friends and co-workers are raving about. Some of my friends have had good results.
Well....I decided to modify it a bit to fit my lifestyle and see what happens. Too early yet, but I will bring you news there on my next update. I really like suger, but I have found a substitute I can live with. Splenda is an actual suger derivative. It has nothing but the sweet taste of suger. I think it does taste a little bit different but not to any appreciable amount. Splenda has no calories, no carbs, no fat, no nothing...lol I believe that when they say it has no fat or calories it probably means too little to measure. I can use it for my sweet tooth though and tolerate it. The other part of the Atkins diet I am using is to cut the starches way down or out. I am not measuring carbs. I really don't like measuring, so there!! I do like potatoes but for now I will live without potatoes and breads and real suger. There are a lot of items with bread or bread (grain) products such as cake, cereal etc. Rice and any grain product I recognize are also out for now. I have been doing this now for two weeks without a significant change. According to Atkins it has to be all or nothing. We will see if that is so. I will as I said keep you informed.
As usual, your questions and my answers follow. The first few are some emails I received that did not ask a question, , but are related, and nice too!!
Hello!
I found your site VERY helpful, I was trying to find the address or driving directions to the Grand Canyon, a friend of mine is flying in from North Carolina this June and wanted to see it, and I was having THEE hardest time finding driving directions! But thanks to the sites you listed, I found them!
THEN! I saw at the bottom you mentioned your diet story. =) I have a medical condition which has made me go from 150 pounds to NOW 190 *sniff, sniff*...its very sad for me, and it doesnt help that I am mostly sedentry. I truly was inspired by your story, and if you can loose 10 lbs in a month, by goodness, its worth a TRY for ME! =) I did loose 18 lbs this summer just by doing the treadmill 2 - 3 miles a day/ 7 days a week for 6 weeks. Met a guy, started staying home, and eventually gained it back. =( Now I am at my all time heaviest. I am only 27, and I have 3 sons, and 4 dogs (one Collie which just had a litter of pups). I need more energy and hate the feeling I have not fitting any clothes and feeling ugly. I really thank you for posting your information about your weight loss success. It TRULY helps!
Kristen Hoy
Serenitee Collies
http://www.angelfire.com/az3/sereniteecollies/Index.html
Hello,
I just wanted to thank you for your web-page on dieting… I have seen others, but yours is the only one that looks resonable and real. Thank you so much!
-Amanda
Hi Shirley,
Im 14, and I weigh around 179... Or so? Anyways, I would like to lose, 50 pounds, so I wont look fat, around my friends, and this guy likes me. And he is WAY thinner than I am, and i dont want to be like, WAY fatter than him. You know? It would be awkward. And I would just like to thank you for this diet. I was looking online for HOURS trying to find a diet that seemed reasonable, or without the pills, because 1) they are crap
2) Im only 14
And anyways. I know this Diet will work, because I was doing it for a while. Something VERY similar to it, and it was working, then I came back to the states, from Iceland ( that's where I live) And I totally pigged out. But I would just like to say, Thanks for showing this to other people, this Diet.
Q: im 15 and im a girl im 150 pounds and im 5' 3" im fat and i need to lose at least 35 pounds quick in like 3 months. my plan was juice for breakfast, an apple or orange for lunch with water or diet coke, and then a small dinner. also i wont eat chips or candy and no snaks in between meals. is that a good plan for 3 months or am i gunna starve myself?
A: That is a fairly good plan as long as you don't do it for longer than 3 months. You should also take a one a day vitamin to help with the nutrients you will be missing. You also need to incorporate some kind of steady exercise plan in with this. I could also suggest cereal with low fat milk or yogurt for breakfast. (not the sugery, marshmallowy kind, but more like plain flakes) Snacks are not a bad thing, just the kind of snacks. 1/2 cup of cottage cheese or yougurt if you feel hungry would be ok, or an additional glass of juice. V8 is very low calorie if you like it, it would be a good choice. Increase water to at least 6-8 glasses a day too. If you feel like you are starving it will be much more difficult to stick with any plan. If you walk fast for one mile a day, you will be amazed at how much easier it is to lose weight and that has the added benefit of tightening your muscles so that as you lose your skin will fit!! :) A mile is not very far and would be to your benefit to increase that after awhile. Your plan sounds like a good one. Stay away from hamburger and fast food too for awhile. (not forever)
Q: This is a rather odd question but it is an issue that I have been thinking about lately. When I go to weigh myself, in what manner should I stand on the scale? How should my feet be placed? One day, I will step on the scale and it will read one number and the next day I do it the same way and it reads 3 pounds more. I do all weigh ins in the morning so that my body has very little in it. Since I have not changed anything all that much, I know that gaining 3 pounds in 24 hours is VERY unlikely. Also, when I step on the scale with my feet close together, the scale reads less than it does if my feet are at the edge of both sides. Which is the correct way here? I know that the weight should be distributed evenly but what is the best way to do so? Thanks.
A: You did answer your own question. The feet should not be at the edge or right next to each other but should be balanced in the middle of the plate you stand on. Weight can fluctuate daily from as much as 1-3 pounds. Water can be retained one day more than on another one.
Weighing daily can be demoralizing and make it more difficult to stay on a diet. I suggest twice a week at the most when starting a diet and once a week after it is going for awhile.
Q: I have seen advertised in Natural Health type of magazines - supplements to lose weight naturally- the product is natural and safe, or so they say.
Any advice about this? Are they really okay and safe? They say that they work on the metabolism etc. I would like to try some but would like to know if they really are safe? ANY SUGGESTIONS on
specific types available, and which NOT to take?
THANKS
A: Some are safe but do absolutely nothing for you and some do speed up your metabolism with additives that can be tolerated by the body but are not really that safe or good a thing to use. I know this is a bit of an unpopular answer since in this country, and I suspect a few others we want a quick easy answer and a magic pill to take care of our problems seems to be a dream come true. You can speed up your metabolism by simple regular exercising. Walking a mile a day would help, and two or three miles a day even more. If walking is boring to you try some fun things. There are many things a person can do to keep active such as, swimming, bikeriding, hiking, rock climbing, exploring caves, dancing (my number one fav,) and bowling. You can lose some weight simply by lowering your fat intake.
(Q)I want to loose weight. I having started doing some exercise. I want to know what type of diet plan my increase my metabolism.
I don't eat food till about 10'O'clock in the morning because I don't feel like eating. Maybe it has become my habit.
Someone told me , if I don't have breakfast in the morning ,my metabolism will be slow.
So I want to know to loose weight,Is it better to have food only when I am hungry or should I eat my meal always at a fixed time?
Thank you.
Any suggestion will be highly appriciated!
(A)Either of those could work for you. The amount and type of food matters more than the time you eat it. If your body is adjusted to it's own circadian rhythm than the time you eat will not matter, though eating just before bed is not as good an idea. Our bodies do slow down at normal bedtimes so I advise bedtime snack at least two hours before bed. You should try to lower your fat as much as possible and increase fresh fruit and vegetables. You can more easily speed up your metabolism naturally with exercise. Walking is the easiest one to do and one I reccommend for most people. It is cheap, nothing to buy, and you can make it interesting depending on where you walk and if you have a companion. The faster the walk the better so choose a companion that can do your speed.
(Q) my husband and I have been married for 7 years of which i think we have been pretty happy. For years i complained about my weight and he just continued to love me and ask me not to put myself down. I love him dearly and now it has come to the point where my weight does bother him now since my health is at risk and he has threatened to leave if I don't fix it. I have lost about 45 lbs and am making extreme slow progress which is frustrating to him. What can I do
(A) : You have made a very good start losing 45 pounds. Congratulations and keep it up. You don't say if you have hit a plateau or not. I imagine you might have. This happens and can be frustrating. The body stabilizes and sometimes it needs a bit of a push to get going again. Are you exercising? You might try increasing this a bit. If walking one mile a day for instance, try two miles a day. Speed up the pace too. Try not to be too hard on yourself. A slow, steady weight loss is more beneficial in the long run. You should not be losing more than 2-3 lbs. a week and less is certainly ok. Involve your husband in the weight loss program as much as possible. Let him help with marketing if he will do this and exercise together. That makes it more fun and is healthy for your relationship too. If you are starting to see some weight come back analyze your diet. Are you eating when upset? Are you on any medication that holds in water or increases your appetite? Try another coping skill instead of eating, such as taking a walk. That helps get the frustration out and helps with weight loss. Good luck, and keep up the good job.
(Q) Hi, I'm a 15 years old guy, and I weight about 157 punds. My weight changes from 155 to 160. This is not very normal for my age. I think I should be about 125 to 130. I have heard about many wight loss programs and excercising machines, and I'm sure that they work. I have also heard about doing some excercise and using fat burning pills. Now I want to start a weight loss program. I like to know a fast way where I can loose 40 lb or 30 lb, for like 2 months.. Do you recommend me anything?
What kind of fat burning pill should I use. Have you evere heard of an effective one?
Please recommend me anything effective.
Sincerely,
Nick
PS. I'm more than 5.6' tall
(A): Looking for a magic pills is generally not the best answer. Hard work and motivation is what you need. Get involved in an active lifestyle. This makes it so much easier to keep trim. You do not sound like you are very overweight for your height. Cut down on the hamburgers and french fries. Eat plenty of raw fruit and vegetables, drink 6-8 glasses of water a day. (fools your stomach into thinking something is in there)
Get off of the computer and go for a walk or run...ok..I know that is heresy, but it is what needs to be done! :)
That is it for this years update. Please keep the email coming. Weight loss is a life long committment to living healthier life styles by watching fat and calorie intake and reaping the benefits of exercise in so many different ways. If you have not made that committment yet, give it a shot, what have you got to lose??
2002 Q & A
 |
Please do not link to graphics as it uses my bandwidth, but you may link to this page or any other on my site. I would appreciate your emailing me that you have done so. Thanks, Shirley