Hello! I'm new here!

[Pop Tart]

I just found this forum and I think that all of you will be a great incentive and support system for me! :)

I've just started back into a healthy lifestyle and hopefully I'll be able to lose a minimum of 50lbs for my next cruise in April 2007.

Everyone sounds so positive here.....and it's great to find others who need to lose for cruising!

A bit of a problem for me is my line of work......CHOCOLATE!!!!!!!:eek:

As you can see, I have a difficult road ahead of me.

 

I look forward to reading all of your great success stories...

 

Pop Tart

[nancyrg]

Pop Tart:

WELCOME! it is a great place to share successes, failures, and get encouragement and ideas about healthy eating and exercise! I have changed my whole lifestyle this year and have found great support on this board-especially when I was on a major plateau.

 

good luck!

 

Nancy

[WeirdEyes]

Hi Pop Tart!! I happen to be a chocoholic myself and I don't think I could work around it. LOL However, I'm going to say something that might make you go YUCK, but a co-worker of mine overcame his chocolate addiction by thinking about "poo" every time he ate it. It worked! LOL OK.....you can slap me now! :eek:

[cruizinmama]

Hi Poptart,

WELCOME!I am too a big chocoholic-LOL!This is a great place to come for info and help and cruise talk.You should also check out http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp?id=CRUIZINMAMA some people from here are on this site.

I find it soooo helpful.I also started the Cruise Critic Losers team

http://www.sparkpeople.com/myspark/groups_individual.asp?gid=2070

 

cruizinmama:D

[IheartPrincess]

Welcome Pop Tart!

Your screen name reminded me i havent had a yummy gooey fat ladden pop tart since i began dieting..mmmmm pop tarts... Yep, chocolate fan here too!:D

[RB Bonzo]

Hi, Pop Tart! Are you following any type of program, or just going w/ healthy eating and exercise?

[Pop Tart]

Well.....I've been on many weight loss plans and I think I've finally come upon 2-3 that I'm comfortable with, so I've combined them all. They are The Zone, The Fat Flush Plan, and I've also combined some macrobiotic ways of eating.

I like the Zone because I've never been hungry on that one, plus I like all the veggies. I also like the fact that you're encouraged to eat good fats.

I like the way it balances out your insulin so you never crash if you're eating correctly.

The Fat Flush detoxes and really does allow you to lose fairly quickly. It's a bit too extreme for me, but I like a lot of things you do on that diet. The unsweetened cranberry juice, the flax oil, the apple cider vinegar and their supplements too.

Macrobiotics is very extreme, but when I dabbled in it, I found myself to be quite content and "centered". Does that make sense?

 

I've made it to size 16 so far......

Now to get to size 8!!!!:D

[DancerOT]

Can you share some more info on the diets? I currently follow modified WW but I feel like I need to "flush" my body as I am addicted to sugars and other not so good for you stuff.

[Pop Tart]

Well.... let me try to put these diets in a nutshell.

 

The Zone. Very scientific, so if you want an easy read, find the paperback "A week in the Zone". I think the basics can be broken down like this: Eat protein, good carbs and fat at every meal and snacks.

Here's an example: Breakfast = 1 cup of fruit such as strawberries, blueberries and top with 3 tbsp low fat cottage cheese and about 1 tbsp toasted almonds. Yummy. If you're an egg person, then there's a meal for that too. Lunch and Dinner are basically having a piece of protein the size of the palm of your hand and the rest are good carbs (veggies).

The good carbs are the ones that don't spike your insulin. When insulin gets spiked, you get hungry, crash, all that nasty stuff.

 

The Fat Flush Plan is a real detox. You have to start eliminating all the bad stuff from you diet about 2 weeks before the actual diet. No sugar, starches, alcohol, etc. You also have to take supplements to support the detox - lots of good stuff for the liver such as unsweetened cranberry juice. This way of eating combines protein, carbs and fat like the Zone, so it's very healthy. After the first 2 weeks you change the diet to a less restrictive way of eating, and add more variety to the diet. After those 2 weeks, you then move on to a diet almost identical to The Zone. Very healthy.

 

The Macrobiotic way of eating is all about yin and yang = Balance. If you eat in balance then your life is balanced. Go back to the hippy era :D . This way of eating promotes having on your plate veggies that grow down (to the earth), and those that grow up (to the sky). It promotes a fair bit of fish, no chicken, pork or beef. Brown rice is basically a perfect food.

This diet is very complicated and that's why I didn't last very long. But I did feel very, very good.

 

So.......I'm basically doing the Zone, drinking lots of unsweetened cranberry juice, and my salad dressing is pure flaxseed oil and apple cider vinegar.

I'll also eat brown rice when I like, as well as brown rice sushi. I'll have a bowl of warm brown rice with soymilk and cinnamon (yummy rice pudding ) for breakfast some mornings. I'm eating a lot of broccoli and salads, and veggies that won't spike my insulin level.

I haven't quite got the hang of eliminating alcohol yet:o

 

I hope this helps!

Pop Tart

[RB Bonzo]

I had a co-worker who was a real fan of The Zone, and she did very well on it.

 

Sounds like you have a very sensible approach; keep up the great work!