very low cal diets

[bronny-jane]

any one feel tempted to eat as little as possible for a while just to see some major changes...i am:eek:

i want to lose the weight really quick, not sure if its a real smart idea though, anyone done it? does anyone else feel like this too:(

[MrsTwith3]

Yes BJ I feel like that too. But its not a smart idea though. As soon as you start eating again your body will just store it thinking that it will be starved again so it keeps what it gets for energy.

[bronny-jane]

its so annoying losing weight slowly, maybe i should keep in mind that this time next year i'll look great:D

[MrsTwith3]

yep good idea:yes:

[kiah]

Bj hav you read anything about raw food diets?

Eating mostly raw veges and fruit...bit of protein, small amount of whole grain carbs?

It will work u will see massive results, clear skin....but u will need a huge amount of self control.:fingerscrossed:

[bronny-jane]

i was thinking about eating cereal for brekkie
salad and some meat for lunch and dinner... should i add some bread though..maybe at lunch?

[kiah]

It all comes down to GI and insulin production. Foods with a high GI are broken down rapidly, while foods with a low GI are converted slowly.

Think of food as fuel...u need to make your body work hard...the fuel needs to last.

This is fuel that will break down fast and transfer faster into fat stores

- white bread, cakes, full fat milk, sugar

This fuel will last longer, keep u full, take more energy to convert

- wholegrains, veges (more so if they are raw), nuts, seeds

Then all u hav to do is make sure u eat it all balanced

So with each meal make sure you have a large serve of veges, medium protein, small carbs.

You should never be hungry. I make up massive bowls of gorgeous salads every day and pig out every couple of hours...don't let your insulin levels drop...that when glucose (fuel) from insulin (hormone that converts the fuel) will transfer to fat cells.

I hope this makes sense....if u hav anymore questions im glad to help

[Kaileysmum]

Oh BJ I feel like doing this all the time. Like them very low cal diets where you can lose 8kgs in 2 weeks, I want to do them I just know I couldnt do it as I love food. Plus its not very healthy lol.

[Beany]

Depends what you mean by a really low calorie diet. When I was huge (I'm no stick figure now but I was really REALLY huge at one point) I did go on a very restricted diet: 1200 per day for the first few weeks and then ramped down to 1000 calories per day. And I was very strict.

The weight did fall off pretty quickly - I lost about 10kgs in 3 months. The weightloss did continue for a few months after that but the numbers did dwindle.month to month as I neared goal weight. Eventually, I gave up and stopped being on a diet per se, I was just "good". The thing is, once you've been on such a restricted diet for so long, you tend to be better about your eating habits - you know exactly how many calories are in things and you don't indulge as much. Or rather *I* didn't indulge as much. My eating habits changed completely and the weight did stay off.

If you do it, make sure you take vitamin and iron supplements. And make sure your daily allowance of calories includes fibre: wholemeal bread, prunes, whatever. Restricted calories are constipating.

Now if only I could tap into that motivation and lose this spare tire I have now ...

[Beany]

PS: the way I achieved a low calorie intake wasn't drinking dodgy shakes or eating a particular food. I bought a calorie counter book (diet.com.au have an online version) and just weighed everything I'd be eating. This meant that my idea of a portion of pasta changed - instead of a huge plate, I had a small serve because that's all my allowance would allow. I could also eat a piece of chocolate if I wanted to but that meant that I wouldn't be allowed that piece of fruit after dinner.

Blah, I'm rambling :D I basically wanted to say its all about portion control not about food substitution. By going on shakes or just eating grapefruit (or whatever the latest fad is), you'll probably just gain the weight back after you go back on real food.

[Shanaynay]

BJ I went on a VLCD once - it sucked, yeh I lost weight but as soon as I started eating the amount I had to to stop from starving all the time, I stacked it all back on again. Wouldn't recommend.

However, calorie controlled diets are great, try weight watchers or what Beany described above :thumbsup:

[Two Little Buggalugs]

Hi BJ, I think we all wish we could make the pounds disappear fast! As an old yo, yo dieter, let me share my personal tips... Kiah is right, if you want to do it healthily, it's about the type of food, quality, gi etc. But kickstart diets can be good to get you started, as long as you don't try to survive on them forever. There are some good books that start you on a 'detox' for two weeks (no refinded carbs, no dairy etc), then gradually adding foods back in before a 'lifetime' type plan. I did the Fat Flush Plan (get it in a bookstore) and lost a really good amount of weight to start with then steadily got to my goal weight quicker than I had with the old low fat diets. I'm probably going to do it again now bub is 6 months.

Weight watchers is good too, bit slower, but reasonable to achieve when you have a baby to look after. Instead of counting calories, it lists nearly any food you can think of in points and you can have so many points per day, with bonus points for exercise.

Finally, I've done some stupid things for weight loss before (anorexia and bulimia) and you will never get the results you want unless you exercise. For overall weight loss, a high energy aerobic exercise is great for kickstarting your metabolism (try the tae bo dvds) and pilates is fantastic for lean muscle, the more lean muscle you have, the faster your resting metabolism (try the aerobics oz style pilates). If you're not an exercise fan, start small and work up. If you're on a good diet, you only need half an hour a day to help your weight loss. Just walking outside or doing the walk away the pounds dvd's are good ways to exercise without being full on.

I know you've got three kids, so it'll be down to how you can fit the change of eating and exercise into your schedule. Just remember, as well as the bonus of weight loss, a good diet and exercise regime will give you more energy, help you sleep better and live longer.