Prevention Mag's Flat Belly Diet

[Bengalkatzmom]

Has anyone tried this new diet from Prevention Magazine? I have actually ordered the book and cookbook but haven't received it yet. Just wondering if anyone has gotten started and what your results are. I had HOPED to be thinner by cruise time but we're leaving Feb 22. So maybe by NEXT cruise...So frustrating. Anyway I hope this diet plan works for me. No not hope, I know it will!:)

[bobandkelly]

Sorry to pop your bubble but there is not a magic diet to flatten the stomach. You cannot spot reduce any place on the body.

The best way to lose weight all over is to watch your calories. And of course cardio and weight training.

 

If you're interested in a free site to help you watch your calories and log your exercise try myfitnesspal.com It will show you how many cal. per day you need to lose. Reading their boards you will see many people who have lost weight and are keeping it off.

 

Dieting only leads to gaining the weight back. In order to lose and maintain you need to learn portion control and moderation. It has to be a lifestyle change or any weight you lose will come back when you go off the diet.

 

Happy Losing

Kelly

[Gathina]

There is nothing magical about that diet, or any other..all involve taking in less calories. What's the difference if you have a 200 calorie shake on medifast or some other diet, or a 200 calorie meal made up of fruits/veggie/lean meats?

 

It's all the same in the end. Any diet has calorie restricition at it's crux.

[Bengalkatzmom]

Well thanks but my question was - has anyone tried it or know anything about it? I've done Jenny Craig, Nutrasystem, Weight Watchers, South Beach and Atkins and everything in between. I have a significant weight gain in the last several years - up until then I was thin. I know how to eat - and those around me see I don't gorge myself and see I eat healthy - yet I still can't shed the pounds. I eat approx 1200-1300 calories a day, work out 4-6 times a week MOST of the time - walking and weight resistence machines. My lab work is all good, blood pressure is good, no health issues - but I don't like being over weight. According to my lab work I'm post menapausal. So I appreciate the tips - but I'm doing those. I'm just looking for the right combination for me - that helps my body respond. I'm hoping this is easy enough to follow but a little different where in it tricks my body into starting the weight loss process. So thanks for the tips - but I'm still asking - has anyone actually tried this plan?

[Gathina]

I can't comment on the diet.

 

But..coming from a physician background...and if your lab work is right..thyroid, metabolics, etc..I can't imagine why you are not losing weight..especially IF you FOLLOWED ALL THE DIETS TO A T. And, if you are REALLY doing the kind of cardio that makes you sweat. A lot of people walk, but it's not cardio walking. The postmenopause stuff is to be considered but if you read on the menopause thread thosewomen seem to be losing weight.

 

Maybe someone else has information with the diet.

 

 

Well thanks but my question was - has anyone tried it or know anything about it? I've done Jenny Craig, Nutrasystem, Weight Watchers, South Beach and Atkins and everything in between. I have a significant weight gain in the last several years - up until then I was thin. I know how to eat - and those around me see I don't gorge myself and see I eat healthy - yet I still can't shed the pounds. I eat approx 1200-1300 calories a day, work out 4-6 times a week MOST of the time - walking and weight resistence machines. My lab work is all good, blood pressure is good, no health issues - but I don't like being over weight. According to my lab work I'm post menapausal. So I appreciate the tips - but I'm doing those. I'm just looking for the right combination for me - that helps my body respond. I'm hoping this is easy enough to follow but a little different where in it tricks my body into starting the weight loss process. So thanks for the tips - but I'm still asking - has anyone actually tried this plan?

[bobandkelly]

You might not be eating enough. Depending on how hard you're working out you might need to eat more on those days.

I use myfitnesspal.com It's an easy site to track your calories and exercise. It sets up a plan of calories for you based on how much exercise you do and your daily activity.

If you go on and check it out you'll see many people who have had success with it. One girl has lost 135lbs and looks fantastic!

Plus it's free!

Kelly

[Bengalkatzmom]

Thanks for your input. My doctor does believe me thank goodness - but we're both not understanding why I'm not losing either. And those around me daily do see that I do all the right things. (I actually have 3 doctors in my family - step son and his wife and my son in law) So I'm not ignorant to what I should do - in fact I eat better than they do most of the time. :-) Time is a factor - if I had the time to exercise more - maybe yes I'd see a better loss or easier to attain loss. Now when I have managed to lose a few pounds - I literally have to eat around 800 calories a day and exercise alot. But that's also not realistic to maintain all the time. And then of course when I start eating a normal amount of food, its like I'm gorging myself at 1200 - 1300 calories. I do believe some of my yo-yo dieting over the years has caused some of my problem - as well as menapause - and maybe an underlying issue we just haven't discovered yet or uncovered. My mother was always certain I had a thyroid issue - even had another doctor suggest it (but she wasn't MY doctor so I never had her check me out). I never had a real weight issue when I was young - but then it was easy for me to starve myself, etc to lose those 5 or 10 lbs here and there (I maintained a weight of 104-106 most of the time until it started slowly adding on) - and even after pregnancies - to do whatever it took to lose weight. I'm hoping this "diet" gives me new recipes that are interesting because I get bored with food real quick. Prevention Magazine does put out some helpful "diets" now and then - I did a modified South Beach diet a little over a year ago and did lose about 20 lbs. But I got bored with eating the same things over and over - but maybe its time to give it another shot. I know I don't want to develop health issues - especially heart disease or diabetes - all 3 of my brothers have diabetes now - all over weight. My mother gained weight in her latter years as did my grandmother. Genetics maybe? But genetically inclined or not, I can't just live with it. It's a constant issue for me. I guess I'm just trying to stress I'm not the couch potato that sits around eating bon bons and chips and junk food and doesn't move. And I do realize that even eating healthy stuff but too much is just as bad. I try to avoid doing that as well. I've used several web sites to log my meals and even when I haven't logged them for awhile - I'll just randomly log them and see that I still am staying within that 12-1300 calorie range. Soooo I'm frustrated and baffled and tired of it...gotta find the right thing that works for me. I am going to join weight watchers at the office - once we get that going. Maybe it will give me someone or multiple people to bounce ideas off of if one thing or another doesn't work for me.

[Gathina]

Have him run tests on your endocrine system, particularly your pituitary gland.

 

Thanks for your input. My doctor does believe me thank goodness - but we're both not understanding why I'm not losing either. And those around me daily do see that I do all the right things. (I actually have 3 doctors in my family - step son and his wife and my son in law) So I'm not ignorant to what I should do - in fact I eat better than they do most of the time. :-) Time is a factor - if I had the time to exercise more - maybe yes I'd see a better loss or easier to attain loss. Now when I have managed to lose a few pounds - I literally have to eat around 800 calories a day and exercise alot. But that's also not realistic to maintain all the time. And then of course when I start eating a normal amount of food, its like I'm gorging myself at 1200 - 1300 calories. I do believe some of my yo-yo dieting over the years has caused some of my problem - as well as menapause - and maybe an underlying issue we just haven't discovered yet or uncovered. My mother was always certain I had a thyroid issue - even had another doctor suggest it (but she wasn't MY doctor so I never had her check me out). I never had a real weight issue when I was young - but then it was easy for me to starve myself, etc to lose those 5 or 10 lbs here and there (I maintained a weight of 104-106 most of the time until it started slowly adding on) - and even after pregnancies - to do whatever it took to lose weight. I'm hoping this "diet" gives me new recipes that are interesting because I get bored with food real quick. Prevention Magazine does put out some helpful "diets" now and then - I did a modified South Beach diet a little over a year ago and did lose about 20 lbs. But I got bored with eating the same things over and over - but maybe its time to give it another shot. I know I don't want to develop health issues - especially heart disease or diabetes - all 3 of my brothers have diabetes now - all over weight. My mother gained weight in her latter years as did my grandmother. Genetics maybe? But genetically inclined or not, I can't just live with it. It's a constant issue for me. I guess I'm just trying to stress I'm not the couch potato that sits around eating bon bons and chips and junk food and doesn't move. And I do realize that even eating healthy stuff but too much is just as bad. I try to avoid doing that as well. I've used several web sites to log my meals and even when I haven't logged them for awhile - I'll just randomly log them and see that I still am staying within that 12-1300 calorie range. Soooo I'm frustrated and baffled and tired of it...gotta find the right thing that works for me. I am going to join weight watchers at the office - once we get that going. Maybe it will give me someone or multiple people to bounce ideas off of if one thing or another doesn't work for me.

[Bengalkatzmom]

Thanks for that tip - I will talk to my doctor about testing my endocrine system. Would I possibly have any other symptoms other than the weight issue if its my pituitary gland or some other issue with my endocrine system? Sometimes you know - you have things going on but you don't put the two or ten pieces together.

 

Well I received my Flat Belly Diet book and cook book yesterday and have decided after looking it over that I'm going to send it back. It really seems to be sensible eating except that actually the calories and fat are higher than what I normally eat - and the recipes do not look like something my husband would enjoy. That's the main reason I wanted it - to satisfy him while helping me lose weight. I have recipe books that have similar dishes but much lower in fat and calories - so I'm just going to stick with what I've been doing and try to step up the exercise and maybe even cut back the calories a bit. Ahhh the vicious cycle. Hurry up Weight Watcher at Work!!!

 

I really do appreciate your input - I'm not giving up. Not yet anyway. My doctor had told me if nothing worked and I'm healthy otherwise, I might just need to get used to being my current size - not happening! You know many of the women in my family have been heavier during the mid life and then later in life shed those pounds almost effortless and spent the last 1/3 of their lives thin. But I don't want to wait. :-)

[bobandkelly]

I'm guessing that the higher fats are from good fats that our bodies need. Sometimes low fat is not the healthiest way to go. Our bodies need some fat to function properly. Fats from nuts, olives, olive oil, flax, vegetable oils, salmon.

Plus for me I find with things like sour cream if I use the low fat or non fat version I end up using more because they don't have the flavor of the full fat. If I'm going to use it I want the flavor.

 

The only things I don't eat regularly are chips and snack stuff, fast food. But I will eat them once in awhile. Everything else is fair game. Pasta, mashed potatoes, chocolate, breads. I use portion control. And I've been adding more vegetables.

Kelly

[Gathina]

Not necessarily. I'm thinking it's something with your adrenal glands or a missing mineral in your diet, or even a yeast infection or too much candida in the body.

 

Another possiblity is to eliminate wheat and gluten (see the thread, Easiest Diet Ever).

 

IF it were ME..I'd keep a food journal..and wear a heart monitor to REALLY see if you are burning where you should be on the cardio...a lot of people "think" they are eating clean and following their diet to a T, but they really aren't. I'd try that for 5 days and see if you notice anything. I am not saying you are not doing things the right way, there just may be some places in what you do now that n eed tweaking.

 

 

Thanks for that tip - I will talk to my doctor about testing my endocrine system. Would I possibly have any other symptoms other than the weight issue if its my pituitary gland or some other issue with my endocrine system? Sometimes you know - you have things going on but you don't put the two or ten pieces together.

 

Well I received my Flat Belly Diet book and cook book yesterday and have decided after looking it over that I'm going to send it back. It really seems to be sensible eating except that actually the calories and fat are higher than what I normally eat - and the recipes do not look like something my husband would enjoy. That's the main reason I wanted it - to satisfy him while helping me lose weight. I have recipe books that have similar dishes but much lower in fat and calories - so I'm just going to stick with what I've been doing and try to step up the exercise and maybe even cut back the calories a bit. Ahhh the vicious cycle. Hurry up Weight Watcher at Work!!!

 

I really do appreciate your input - I'm not giving up. Not yet anyway. My doctor had told me if nothing worked and I'm healthy otherwise, I might just need to get used to being my current size - not happening! You know many of the women in my family have been heavier during the mid life and then later in life shed those pounds almost effortless and spent the last 1/3 of their lives thin. But I don't want to wait. :-)

[potterhill]

I have also read recently that doctors are now often treating thyroid results that used to be considered normal to good effect. Just some more info for the arsenal. Good luck

 

Mo