Best Plan to Loose Weight/eat Healthy

I highly recommend Weight Watchers. I successfully lost 60 pounds and kept it off since October 1005. I went back on after I had my daughter in 2007 and lost the 70 pounds I gained with her. I'm pregnant again and am going back as soon as I have my little one to lose this baby's weight. The program is wonderful and with the right leader is almost life changing. It is a complete lifetyle change and research has shown is more effective than a lot of other diet plans.

Bobbi,
Lots of the ladies have recommended a food diary. I have found a great one online....www.fitday.com...and its free!!! (at least the basic level is) It already has all the calorie, carb, protein, fiber, etc contents for common foods. They can be modified if you need to. Also, you can add items that may not be there. Very convenient for foods you eat regularly that may not be listed. Plus you can customize the reports to see how you do each day. I love it because it is so easy to use once you get everything set up. I love that I can see exactly how many calories, how much protein, carbs, fiber, etc. all in one report. Plus I live my life on my computer so this is easier for me than actually writing it down. And you get the benefit of not having to count or add anything. It does it all for you! If you choose to use it and have any trouble, just email me at ____@____.com luck!

I am doing the Eat Clean Diet. Bought the book at Barnes and Nobles. IT is awesome. I lost 4 lbs in about 2 weeks. I am not wanting to really lose weight, just tone. So this diet is perfect for either losing or tonig

Go see the nutritionist first - most definitely! The nutritionist will be able to determine how many calories you should be eating, educate you about healthy food choices, help set very personal, reasonable, and attainable goals, and also help you learn what triggers your overeating.

Jenny Craig is good, but in order to continue to be successful you'll likely have to continue to buy their pre-packaged/sometimes processed food as long as you want to maintain. Can you do that?

Weight Watchers is really good because you'll learn a lot about portion sizes and nutrition in general. They also offer a line of food products but they are not essential/required for the program. I would definitely recommend WW.

South Beach diet is one I would not recommend. The premise is you cut out most, if not all carbs...which is one of the most ridiculous dieting techniques out there. Will you lose a lot of weight right away on SB? Absolutely. But you'll also be depriving your body of much-needed complex carbohydrates that are essential for keeping your metabolism revving up.

I think it is great that you are weighing several options and wanting to do this in a healthy manner - pills, meal replacements, so-called vitamins...they're all JUNK. Avoid them. Seriously, if the pills worked would we be a nation of obese people? I don't think so.

The other thing you should consider is starting to add light cardio exercise. If this means right now all you can do is walk around the block, so be it. It's more than you're doing now! Start to walk every day for 10, 20, 30 minutes - whatever you can handle right now. Soon you'll see the pounds melt off.

Good luck to you!

I went to the Nutrition Clinic in Arlington Heights with Dr. Gupta. They have a nutritionist there, they give you a meal plan, tell you how many calories per day you can have and will also give you an appetite suppressant to help with weight loss. I also tried many things and it wasn't working, I have only been on it for two days, but I feel great! In case they do not tell you, your first appointment is 1 1/2 - 2 hours long. They test for thyroid problems, metabolism and everything first. I was not told this and brought my 21 month old daughter who was very good thank goodness. They also have offices in Naperville, Rockford and Chicago. The Arlington Heights office is right off of the tollway - very easy. If you are interested, the number is ###-###-####. Good luck!!

I don't have much to add on dieting, but if you're looking for a great (quick) workout that really gives you results, try Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred. It has 3 levels, and the workouts are only 20 minutes each. They are challenging, but doable. She also has books out on nutrition and there are Biggest Loser cookbooks with great recipes in them. You can find all of them on amazon.com and read reviews. Good luck with your new healthier lifestyle!

Hello,

right know I am on weight watchers and it works! I started about a two months ago and have lost 16 pounds. I like it because it shows you how to eat and what amounts and the best part is that you can eat anything you want watching your points.

About 3 years ago I lost 80 pounds on weight watchers. It was Soooo easy!! Nothing had ever worked for me before, so I thought I would be fat forever. But WW works! I went on to have my 3rd child last september and have lost all my baby weight afterwards. I am comfortable in my body and I feel and look better than I ever have before. Weight Watchers has been a life saver for me!!! I recommend it to anyone who is serious about getting HEALTHY!

Well from my personal experience I would not try any of the fad diets. I did atkins some time ago lost 70 lbs only to gain in back and then some. I finally decided to basically do a lifestyle change. I eat healthy maybe a nutritionalist can help if your not sure what to be eating but I pretty much know what I should be eating and what I shouldnt be eating. Plus I joined the Ymca. I go everyday they have a nursey and a babysitting room for older kids so that is never a problem. I just make myself go everyday no if ands or buts about it. I am losing about 5 lbs a week. The first few weeks I lost even more. I know with this I will never gain it back in the future I might cut the excercise down to 3 or 4 days per week but its something that i will A. have to stick to. Good Luck!

I have A. been slim but my MIL has had very good success with a combination of South Beach Diet, WW, and TOPS. When she first started South Beach, she lost about 60 lbs the first year. Since then she has slowly but steadily dropped 1-2 lbs per month and her diabetes has improved.

I think you're absolutely right on target in that you want something you can stick with over time. It needs to be a lifestyle change, not just a diet that you go on. In that context seeing a nutritionist would probably be hlepful for you too. One thing he/she will ask you do to is to keep a food diary. You can do this on your own right now and it will probably help you identify what you need to change yourself to get started. WW or TOPS can help keep you motivated and keep track of those changes.

I didn't read the other responses, but while you are waiting to decide on a plan...

Purchase a pedometer and walk 5 miles over the course of EACH day.

Drink 8-10 glasses of water each day.

Get a good multi-vitamin and take it daily.

Avoid diet/regular sodas and anything made with high fructose corn syrup (Coke, etc.)

Buy a journal or notebook and WRITE DOWN everything you eat, every day! Track patterns of eating so you know what, when and WHY you are eating. That is most helpful!

Let your friends and family know you are starting this journey and ask for their support and encouragement.

GOOD LUCK!

Bobbi, my husband and I found the best program we have ever seen for weightloss. It is called Core 4 and it is four products that work together to promote weight loss. It is all natural, organic, and clinically proven! In fact my husband lost 12 pounds in a month and the best part is that he did not change his eating habit! He looks better than when we first met ten years ago.:) You can go to www.c4weightloss.com to get some more information or send me a message with your questions.

Good luck!

B.

I am a weight watchers/nutritionist person. I say them together because, when I was pregnant with my son I had the Gestiional Diabetes and I had mentioned that I used to Do WW and she was happy because what I needed to follow was simular to WW. WW you do your own food, so it is not you just eating meals that somone else prepared.

Good luck

Hi, Bobbi.

I just started Herbal Life last week. I feel much better already and I have more energy than I did before. I take 2 shakes, two of the supplements and protien bars in between meals. I've lost about 4 pounds and I'm excited to see how much more I can lose. Here is the name of my distributor. She may be able to put you in contact with someone in Mt. Prospect.

Nancy Rivera
Phone # 1/815-###-###-####
____@____.com

Tell her I referred you and that you are a member of mamasource. Good luck!

T. Porter

HI Bobbi,

THis is a whole new lifestyle and trust me it takes time but can be done. I started this lifestyle 10 months ago and i have lost 50 pounds with 50 more to go.

I started with Weight Watchers, but i didn't like it, I found a website called myfitnesspal.com(IT IS FREE) and it has changed my life. It allows you to log food for calories and so forth and helps you reach your goals. I found i was A. within my points on WW but when i started logging my food calorie wise, i was way over. It has made a huge difference.

I started out small and making little changes that increased over time. For instance, I hated drinking water, and never had just plain water ever. I started replacing a couple glasses of soda and juice with Crystal light, after 4 months of crystal light one glass at a time i started replacing that with water. I now drink water all day long and only have crystal light with dinner.

If i really want something i do not deny myself, i just make sure it is in smaller amounts. I don't keep stuff in my house and everyone is benefiting from this.

With Excercise i started small just walking for an hour at lunch and now have increased my excercise to major cardio and strength training. It has been a long road with setbacks, but i keep getting back on track.

Good Luck.

Over a year ago I discovered that I have a gene mutation (which caused two miscarriages) that is linked to heart disease. Well considering I did have the two miscarriages and I have a family history of heart disease, I figured the doctors know what they are talking about and I should take it seriously.

I decided in January to start making changes to my lifestyle. I have been reading and researching everyday. I have gone from 164 lbs to 143 lbs.

As part of my quest I emailed all of my friends and family that I thought might be interested and included them in my little quest. Every week I email them about things I've learned, my progress and that of others that wish to share details with me (no names). It keeps me accountable and everyone emails me back with suggestions, encouragement and their results.

Very, very simply put I:

1.) email everyone to keep myself on track
2.) Count everything I eat..if I bite it I write it on a log which I keep on my counter...I had to seriously look at portion sizes, labels for what a real serving is and how much in calories it adds up to and so forth.
3.) I have had to change the way I eat. Less fat, more veggies/fruit, less starch, protein in healthy servings...
4.) I have made up my mind this is for life and I'm slowly bringing my family on board...the skinny husband has been the most reluctant..though he loves the weight loss.
5.) I try to exercise more and more every week....bought a $300 treadmill at Wal-mart, use dvd's, and go for walks several times a week.
6.) I've been researching, reading, listening, and researching some more.

If you would like to be in on my emails, just shoot me a message with your email address and I'll add you on.

I'm not a doctor, but there are two nurses and a nutrionist in the group that I email. I A. give my source of information to everyone so they can verify if they want.

I would recommend going on realage.com and taking the real age test. I would also go on nationalbodychallenge.com and look at their resources.

Both of those sites are good places for recipes. The foodnetwork also has a section for healthy recipes as well.

Hope some of that helps.

Good for you for realizing that Mommy's need to take care of themselves too. Before I would try a "corporate" diet, why don't you try making a goal sheet. With walking being the best exercise, make a goal that you are going to walk every morning or every evening after dinner. Make it a family thing. Walk to the park with the kids in the afternoon. Choose stairs instead of the elevator, even if you have to get to the 10th floor, take the stairs up 2 flights and the elevator the rest of the way...I used to do that, I worked on the 12th floor and everyday I would take the stairs as high as I could then the elevator the rest of the way until I made it all the way up. Exercise is your first battle.

I also learned portion control is key. Only eat the portion you would give to your kids. That is what a lot of the "diets" really teach you. I know I am a snacker...so opt for healthy snacks. Summer is coming so there are going to be great sweet fruits at the market, make it a habit to try a new fruit each week, let you 4 year old become involved in choosing the fruit. (Kiwi, starfruit, fresh pineapple, mango).

Good luck with your goals, and if you choose one of the diets out there look into all of them and choose the one that would be best for you.

Hi Bobbi,

You didn't mention how much weight you have to lose, but if it's 75 pounds or more, you need to look at more than how you eat, but why. Portion control, healthy choices, exercise, cutting calories, are all great, but with 75 or more pounds to lose it's as much about what's in your head, as what you put in your mouth.

I've walked a mile in those shoes, having been 114 pounds overweight. I lost it through eDiets basic plan - eat less, move more - and a lot of support and soul searching. I got divorced and gained it ALL back because in that range of being overweight, it's more like recovering from an addiction, than learning how to eat correctly and exercise enough.

If you're in that weight loss range I'd be happy to talk to you about this further. I'm moving back down the scale again and know that for the rest of my life my weight will be a battle, but one I intend to never give up on.

Best of luck to you!
S.

Bobbi,

I have lost 45 pounds in the past year and absolutely LOVE the program that I am on!!! At 61 years old, I feel AND LOOK younger than I did when I was 40! 17 more pounds and I WILL be at my goal weight - the same as I was, when I was married 38 years ago!

I'd be glad to share this fantastic safe, natural healthy way to loose that weight! Give me a call at ###-###-####.

http://www.livetotalwellness.com/bevk

A wonderful WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM! I have been overweight all of my life and cannot tell you how many diets, plans, programs, I have tried and have never before found a plan that works so well!! Since Jan.'08, I have lost 45+ pounds and over 20+" off of my waist, hips, & thighs, and counting down! I, now, enjoy walking, swimming, and feel better than I have in years! With this program, I have found something that I will use for the rest of my life! Try IT! What have you got to loose? That extra weight?

I'd totally have to vote for Weight Watchers. I do the program online and weigh in every Monday morning to avoid eating bad on the weekends. I did it 2 years ago and lost 32 lbs, and now doing it again after having a baby. I've currently lost 16 lbs. It's a great program to teach you how to eat correctly.

I would not recommend Jenny Craig. Most that I know have lost weight and then gained it back plus more after stopping the food.
SB diet works. The first two weeks are the toughest, but then you add good carbs back in.
I guess I would vote for Weight Watchers out of those because it teachers you how to eat correctly and that is something you can use for life.
Remember to use healthy supplements for any food pyramid items you may be shorting yourself on. Good luck. : )

If you understand the very basics of decent nutrition, calorie counting and a need for exercise do something like TOPS as you meet and weigh in and have a meeting but the diet is yours and the cost is minimal and the support is great.

I did WW online adn lost 10lbs. I knew I needed more and now do the monthly with online/meetings included. I've lost 45lbs and still have more to go to reach my goal. I woudl say do WW. Its more teaching and keeping you accountable. You have a leader and people to help support. Plus with the monthly you can go to whatever meetings suit you. Good luck its hard to put ourselves first but you must when it comes to your health!! Another reason I vote WW is you can eat whatever you want... with most others you neeed to eat their food etc. Life is life and with this program you do what is right for you! Good luck!!

I think Weight Watchers is great. It really is just focusing on portions and balancing food options. If you go to the first few meetings you will get some useful books/info to then continue on your own.