Diet / weight loss programs (Atkins, Paleo, etc.) ?

Marzipan13

I'm trying to lose about 15 lbs. for my September wedding, and I'm thinking of following either the Paleo or Atkins diet.  Have any of you had any experience with either?  (The reason I mention these two specifically is because I have family members and friends who have done them and really saw great results.)  This will be my first time trying to follow a diet / weight loss program.  

THANK YOU!  I appreciate your insight!  

KatWAG

What is wrong with increasing your exercise and eating a balanced diet?

Marzipan13

Nothing, and I have already been doing so.  I just feel that I need a boost in ideas for meals (I'm not actually "signing up" for either weight loss plan), and would like to have a more structured list of meal plans.  Basically, I'd just like to keep better track of it all, and be more educated as far as how various foods (including healthy ones) affect the body.  

KatWAG

I have heard the weight watchers is one of the best for long term weight loss. They can help you with recipes and meal planning.

Marzipan13

Oh, good to know!  Thanks!

MinnieLovesMiki

I swear by the Atkins (low carb) diet! If you follow it and don't take too many cheat days, you should see results. In the first few weeks (depending on how much you weigh currently), you can drop a few pounds in a single week (mostly water weight). Note: The first few days are the hardest as you'll probably feel tired, but as you make it more of a lifestyle rather than a diet, it gets easier. There are also low-carb options at many restaurants once you know the types of foods that fit the bill. I've been doing low-carb for about a year (fell off the wagon around the holidays only only gained 4 pounds) and love it. :-) Good luck!

vanessanini

I always keep an eye on the calorie of the food which remind me of  controlling the amount I will eat. Tell your good friends you intend to lose weight, they will help you watch your eating habit. Everything's hard in the beginning.Hold on and good luck!

MOHDIANA

Ive been doing Paleo and Advocare 24 day challenge seems to be working lost 5lbs in 10 days just doing a cleanse and eating paleo! Here is a good place to start with Advocare https://www.advocare.com/140454494/

Marzipan13

Edited:  Vendor's comment taken down. 

Thanks for all the suggestion, ladies!  

tcnoble

Marzipan13 said:

I'm trying to lose about 15 lbs. for my September wedding, and I'm thinking of following either the Paleo or Atkins diet.  Have any of you had any experience with either?  (The reason I mention these two specifically is because I have family members and friends who have done them and really saw great results.)  This will be my first time trying to follow a diet / weight loss program.  

THANK YOU!  I appreciate your insight!  

I started following the Paleo diet about a month ago. I highly suggest starting with the Whole30 - it is really intense but the guidelines are straight forward and easy to follow. I get a lot of my recipes from Pinterest, and PaleOMG is my favorite blog. I was losing 2-3 lbs a week on Whole30 (I have a LOT of weight to lose so it has come off easily) but since I have started being more lax on my diet, it isn't as easy. I am thinking of starting another Whole30 because I am going dress shopping in less than a month! Anyways, there are a lot of resources out there and if you read up on it, I'm sure you'll be able to tell if it's a good fit for you  

tcnoble

MOHDIANA said:

Ive been doing Paleo and Advocare 24 day challenge seems to be working lost 5lbs in 10 days just doing a cleanse and eating paleo! Here is a good place to start with Advocare https://www.advocare.com/140454494/

I've been considering this for the next few weeks before I go dress shopping. Does anyone else have experience with the Advocare 24 Day Challenge??

blondelf26

@tcnoble i did the advocare 24 day challenge and it worked great for me.  I love their products and I have lost 15lbs since the middle of jan.  I started at 148 and im 5'0 and today i am down to 133 lbs. I highly recommend!

vh2014

If you go to nutrition.gov you can go to the Supertracker and track your food and exercise.  I actually made a plan based on their recommendations and then just ate the right number of oz of grain, protein, dairy, and fruits and veggies.  It's worked... 40 lbs since January... along with exercise.  

A long time ago I did do Atkins.  It worked for me... and at the time I couldn't keep track of what I was eating so it was easier to just mostly eliminate carbs... but then I felt deprived and I couldn't do it forever. Now that I have a good idea of how much to eat, I can continue to eat like I am eating now forever.  I have sweets, pasta, and pizza... but just not as often and in the right quantities.  I look at 3 oz of hamburger and 3oz of fish and see how much more fish I can eat so I pick the fish... Or I really want that cupcake so I forgo something else... I know I'm going somewhere for a hefty dinner... I have a light salad for lunch.  

charlottesmom0626

I'm very against the Advocare program, as I've voiced on other threads. I have a lot of friends into this fad diet and I did a bunch of research, their products aren't good for your body, especially long term. Eat healthy foods, exercise, and you'll see results!

msrm415

I did the Dukan Diet. Its very similar to adkins, I lost 8 lbs the first week. 15 total, and ate like crap pretty often since then and have kept it off. I'm trying to get back on track to lose another 20, but having trouble finding the motivation, you should google it, it cuts all sugar and carbs, except certain veggies. I used stevia for sweet tooth cravings. I found eating a higher protein diet really cut my sweet cravings.

soontobemrshamilton

I like a low carb diet, I have cut out most carbs and sugar. I eat 25-30 grams of carbs a day, most of my carbs coming from veggies. If you only have 15 pounds to lose, this wold be awesome, low carb diets work quick!

A tip: I can make some things that call for sugar and I replace it with Stevia and if you are really craving sugar a little whipped cream from the can hit's the spot

soontobemrshamilton

After about a week or two on a low carb diet, your cravings for sugar will stop

KatieinBkln

Paleo seems a bit more reasonable than Atkins, just from my outsider's opinion. (Like, I like some paleo recipes, but you will pry my grains and bread out of my cold, dead hands). Paleo at least encourages eating some damn veggies, whereas I'm pretty sure Atkins is all steaks and heart attacks. (Frrl tho, didn't Dr. Atkins himself die of heart disease? Not to say that his diet caused it; that would not be science, but I do believe in taking advice from people who look and feel the way you want to look and feel.)

Marzipan13

KatieinBkln said:

Paleo seems a bit more reasonable than Atkins, just from my outsider's opinion. (Like, I like some paleo recipes, but you will pry my grains and bread out of my cold, dead hands). Paleo at least encourages eating some damn veggies, whereas I'm pretty sure Atkins is all steaks and heart attacks. (Frrl tho, didn't Dr. Atkins himself die of heart disease? Not to say that his diet caused it; that would not be science, but I do believe in taking advice from people who look and feel the way you want to look and feel.)

Lol!  I checked out a "newer" (2011) Atkins diet cookbook from my library, and they actually do encourage veggies & fruits a lot more than when Atkins began.  The one thing I dislike the most, actually, is that they hawk their own Atkins snack products as the snacks you "should" eat in between meals.  Really?!  Give me a handful of almonds any day - they're cheaper & more healthy than your Atkins snacks, trust me!

etf: can't spell today

KatieinBkln

Marzipan13 said:

KatieinBkln said:

Paleo seems a bit more reasonable than Atkins, just from my outsider's opinion. (Like, I like some paleo recipes, but you will pry my grains and bread out of my cold, dead hands). Paleo at least encourages eating some damn veggies, whereas I'm pretty sure Atkins is all steaks and heart attacks. (Frrl tho, didn't Dr. Atkins himself die of heart disease? Not to say that his diet caused it; that would not be science, but I do believe in taking advice from people who look and feel the way you want to look and feel.)

Lol!  I checked out a "newer" (2011) Atkins diet cookbook from my library, and they actually do encourage veggies & fruits a lot more than when Atkins began.  The one thing I dislike the most, actually, is that they hawk their own Atkins snack products as the snacks you "should" eat in between meals.  Really?!  Give me a handful of almonds any day - they're cheaper & more healthy than your Atkins snacks, trust me!

etf: can't spell today

Glad to hear they're joining the veggie train! 

Yeah, the thing that pisses me off about a lot of "diet programs" is that they all wanna hawk their processed granola bars and whatever. Like, sell me your fancy blender, sell me your branded barbells, sell me your overpriced hardcover book with new editions every year. Make your profits, I get that's the whole point. But the processed snack foods never cease to amaze me in their sheer hypocrisy. 

Jmkisby

My friends and I all did 17 day diet and it worked really well. I lost a ton and kept it off. I eventually moved on bc I was over it and needed to mix things up and get over my plateau! You can pretty much find out anything about it online. I was the only one who has kept it off though- but I also exercise several times a week! I've also done weight watchers and that was great! Never felt deprived of foods I liked. I really think 17 day and weight watchers taught me a lot about eating, sugar in foods, eating more natural/less processed foods, and portion control! You could also always try my fitness pal, follow the calories and workout 4-5 times a week and that will work just as well!

Aray82

Whatever you choose, do something that won't make you hungry. A book that really helped me when I started weight lifting (also recommended by another TK member) is Lou Schuler's The New Rules of Lifting for Women. You can get it pretty cheap on Amazon and even if you're not lifting the nutrition advice and yummy recipes alone are worth it. Basically if you eat enough good quality protein (what the food pyramid recommends is barely enough to avoid starvation) you'll work harder to burn off your food, maintain muscle that burns calories faster than fat, and be less hungry for junk between meals. Also a good one to look into: Weight watchers helped my mom lose a lot of weight and then keep it off for the next 25 years and counting by teaching her to choose better foods and not just count calories.

frewinclaire

Cut out all sugar, processed foods and ear healthily. Don't go faddy!

 http://bridechiller.blogspot.co.uk/2014_06_01_archive.html