What Diet/eating Plan Worked Best for You?

You could buy one of The Biggest Loser books and read the information they've published regarding nutrition. It isn't a 'diet'; it is sound nutrition combined with reasonable, doable exercises that anyone can do. What I like best about the book is that it is easy to read, use, and is modified from what the tv show does (recognizing that the normal person is not going to be doing 4-6 hours of exercise a day).

I also second the Weight Watchers program (even if done online). Remember to pick a nutritional program that will be something you can adopt for the rest of your life. My mother lost 125 pounds and my sister has lost 75 pounds on WW.

You're right on the money to avoid fad diets. They are only a temporary solution to a lifelong issue. Also, many times you are robbing your body of essential nutrients or adding potentially dangerous chemicals that do more harm than good and will make you fatter once you stop taking the drug or following the program (further disturbing your metabolism).

Educate yourself about modern nutrition, shop the perimeter of the grocery store, eat lots of things that are grown naturally or 'picked' off of plants, include lots of white meat poultry and low-fat fish. Add something as simple as a 45 minute walk daily.

I second WW. You could try it online, but it does take discipline. Have you tried Sparks People? Again, an online group, but the support is good and you can join groups for support and challenges.

WW is what worked for me. It was hard to get those last 25lbs off and I have lost 11lbs in ~10 weeks. I have really ramped up my work out too. I run 2-3 times per week, do a stretch and tone class 2ce a week at work and walk everywhere I can.

Good luck!! You can do it if you have the discipline to change your habits!

I swear by Weight Watchers. I did it 11 years ago - meetings were at my work. I lost 17 lbs. In the past 21 weeks I have lost 26 pounds (the past 3 weeks I haven't been following as strictly so I am at a standstill). I did it this time by ordering the at-home kit and then doing it online for 3 months. My weigh in days are Mondays. It does take a lot of discipline but that's with any diet. I really feel like WW teaches you variety (and you can truly eat anything) and portion control and promotes exercise as well. Good luck to you!

I used to be able to eat 10 cupcakes and not gain a pound--before my daughter was born! Now I look at a cookie and feel my stomach beginning to bulge....so you are not alone.

I also second Traci with www.sparkpeople.com in that it is a great weight loss support/info site.

I don't follow any fad, I just watch my calories. Again Sparkpeople will tell u how much calories u should eat per day, and how much exercise u should do daily. I add up the amt of calories I eat daily, so by dinnertime I know how much I can eat.

While everyone has mentioned a diet, fat burning exercise is also another key component. U can eat cabbage all day and still not lose weight, since u are not burning anything off. Your metabolism slowed down after childbirth, and u need to rev it up.

Experts recommend at least 30 minutes to 1 hr of cardio daily. Meaning, walking, hiking, kickboxing, u name it. Can't join a gym? Get some workout tapes and play it while ur son is napping. We have an elliptical in our basement with some free weights because I have no time to go to a gym. I also have Tae Bo DVD's that I work out to in front of our TV. For people who can't do 30 minutes, do 3 10 minute burst of cardio daily. Take a walk at lunchtime, etc. As long as it adds up to 30 minutes, it doesn't matter how you do it.

Eventually add weight-lifting. No you won't become arnold Schwarznegger - women simply can't bulk up. It revs up your metabolism even more. Aim to do it 2x a week.

As far as what I eat, I eat high fiber, high protein stuff, in six mini-meals a day. Again eating mini-meals increases your metabolism and always keeps u full, rather than 3 large meals. Again sparkpeople will give u ideas what u should be eating. My typical day goes: breakfast: Kashi go Lean cereal with 1 oz walnuts and skim milk. Mid-morning snack: veggie with a dip, and yogurt. Lunch: Turkey on a open-faced wheat bread. Late-afternoon snack: string cheese and 1oo-calorie microwaved popped corn. Dinner: sensible dinner to add up to my 1300/cal daily diet. See how much protein and fiber I eat?

Sorry to throw a lot at you. Good luck and know that we all are in the same boat after having kid(s)...

Hi Mari,

I lost all 60 (yes SIXTY) pounds from my first and all 43 pounds plus from my second by doing two very simple things.

1) Drink 3 liters of water a day. It sounds like a lot but will quickly become your norm. I drink six half liter bottles each day.

2) Start walking. Go at a pace that's comfortable and build up. I started walking after my first and built up to running. I was in no way shape or form an athlete but have come to very much love my running routine. Walking is JUST AS GOOD for you (even better in that it doesn't wear the body so much) - push yourself as you build up.

Also, I don't diet because I believe if you deprive yourself you will just yo-yo. Some days I polish off as much as a line-backer. Other days I'm really not that hungry and might even skip dinner or eat a very light dinner - I tend to let myself eat whatever I want on one weekend day - the rest of the week when I want something that's not a great choice, I think "I can have that this weekend if I really want it" - so often what we grab and go with are bad choices and just icky empty calories.

I was 37 when I delivered my first and 2 months shy of 40 when I delivered my second, so nature was not on my side. I was amazed at how those two little life changes worked for me. I think it's b/c it's SIMPLE and EASY TO INCORPORATE in to your life. Give it a whirl and let me know if it works for you too!

Good luck!

N.

You can do Weight Watcher on-line. The only drawback that I found, you need to be very self-discipline. On-line there is meal ideas, exercise ideas and you can "talk" with other members to get their support and their ideas. It is much better to go to the meetings but if you can't, then on-line is the next best thing.
There are also Weight Watcher Meetings at Work- if they do that in your area. There is a group at my work that has been at it for over 2 years. We use our lunch hour and meet and help one another get through some hard times!

It took time for me but I did lose over 60 pounds and with the work group we lost hundreds of pounds-very successful. Hope this helps you.

I use a free site called Calorie Count. It's very much do-it-yourself, though. It can tell you how many calories you should eat/day, how many you should burn, and track your weight. You log in your food & exercise and keep track that way. They also have helpful tools and forums for support. The website is http://caloriecount.about.com/
If you want something that's a little more of a no-brainer, I used e-diets a few years ago before my wedding and had good luck with that. You choose your meals and exercise for the week ahead of time, then it gives you a shopping list and you just eat what it tells you and follow your exercise plan. I really liked it and the monthly fee was reasonable.

Try the ideas from America On the Move (aom.com or ymca.net) - - they advocate taking "small steps," so you don't have to feel like you have to do serious cardio for 60+ minutes everyday or eat only 1200 calories. It is a more balanced approach. Add 2,000 steps (walking 1 mile or equivalent) each day and cut 100 calories each day. Then gradually increase your goals. They have a website where you can track your step success over 6 weeks. You can set goals and join in a community. it's a good program.

Mari: I coworker of mine did Weight Watchers. Went to the first meeting (look for the free registration). You get all the tools to do it on your own. It also has online classes.

And here are a few great websites:

www.dwlz.com
www.aimeesadventures.com

Hope this helps!!!!

T.

I've been logging calories on sparkpeople.com since the end of July and have lost 11 pounds so far. You can follow their meal plans or create your own, or just log the calories you eat. There are teams to join for support and motivation, recipes, exercise ideas....tons of great stuff!
Good luck!

South Beach Diet is the only thing that seems to be working for me. I haven't tried WW like the other moms recommend, but I have tried everything else and SBD is the only thing that works...

My mom and little sister have tried WW. They have lost weight on it and then stopped going and gained it back, unfortunately. My older sister has recently lost 40 pounds or more - she wants to lose like 25-30 more. She did this on Jenny Craig. She looks awsome. She also walks several miles a day. I have about 20 pounds to lose after having my second child - he's 2 and my daughter's 3 1/2. Anyways, I will do Jenny Craig when I have the extra money. I believe that it's a definite investment that is totally worthwhile and belive that if you do some exercise and stick with the proportioned meals that you will lose the weight and if you stick with it long enough, you really learn great portion control. I don't think I can lose weight by doing something like weight watchers because i dont think i'll keep up with the meetings and definatly not the point counting. I had never had a problem with weight loss - before kids I was always at an average weight. I'm also a juvenile diabetic, so I was lucky to be at a good weight and not an over eater. It's hard for me to think about dieting because of worrying about low blood sugars, but since I'm on a pump, I think Jenny craig would be a lay down - with the nutrition info on the packages, there would be easy carb counting. Mari - sounds like you don't have too much to lose - less than me - only 10 to 15 - I have about 20 - I don't think weight watchers would be good for that little amount of weight, but if you go to the initial jenny craig meeting, get weighed, and buy the meals and stick to it, you'd have the weight off probably in no time. My sister has inspired me - she originally added low carb veggies to the meals and stopped doing this because the closer you get to your goal weight, I guess, the harder it gets. So, she's still losing at a wonderful rate buy just eating the meals.

Good luck. Let me know if you do Jenny Craig and how it works out. I will probably be able to do so in a few months when I can afford it.