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Please keep in mind that other members may claim medical or nutrition expertise or status that they may, or may not, possess. Please use good judgment and discretion in following their advice. Always check with your doctor or nutritionist before modifying your diet.
We want to know what questions you have on health and wellness. Share your questions here and Arlene Sanoy, registered dietician at Kraft Kitchens, will stop by monthly to select two questions to be answered in our new upcoming KRAFT Live Healthy & Happy newsletter. The answers will also be posted here for everyone to see on the message boards.
Please keep in mind that other members may claim medical or nutrition expertise or status that they may, or may not, possess. Please use good judgment and discretion in following their advice. Always check with your doctor or nutritionist before modifying your diet.
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9
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Posted:
Jul 29, 2008 12:23 PM
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Good grief! How much weight was she trying to lose? I guess I didn't follow the diet as closely as some, because I experienced no such problems. My original goal was twenty pounds, but as I changed my way of eating, I eventually lost 30. The first 2 weeks I avoided foods like rice, pasta, bread, and sweets. Then I gradually incorporated them back in. Once my huge cravings for, in my case, pasta and some sweets, eased off, I was better able to eat a serving of them. I never starved myself and actually enjoyed the lighter fare since I did this in the terrible heat of August. Plus I know that my body did not miss the chips and other junk I was way too quick to reach for. The biggest problem with this "diet", I think, is just to plan ahead, don't go to extremes, eat healthy, and find ways to keep it from getting "boring". Several mini meals and snacks work best. I am so sorry to hear of someone having such bad results when I had such a good one - looked and felt better and ate healthier.
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Posts:
128
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Posted:
Jul 29, 2008 10:00 AM
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I've never heard very good things about low carb diets.
My sister-in-law did the Atkins one, which is very extreme and she developed the worst bad breath! I mean it was horrible.
She lost weight but she also lost a bunch of her hair!
She gained the weight back plus more, too.
She had the lapband finally and that seems to have worked.
But she didnt get her hair back fully. Sad
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Posts:
355
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Posted:
Jul 28, 2008 11:43 PM
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Me too!! But I find that not allowing myself to get hungry (by eating small snacks in between meals) helps with that. If I get too hungry, I end up pigging out.
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Moderator_Jane
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1,656
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Posted:
Jul 28, 2008 5:34 AM
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My biggest challenge is portion size. It's really difficult for me to keep them within acceptable limits.
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Posts:
939
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Posted:
Jul 25, 2008 11:55 AM
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I'm glad you had such great success. But I need to remind all the other readers out there about the difference between reduced carb (reduced from what is typical for many American diets) and very low/no carb which severely restricts or forbids certain foods. Whole grains, fruits and vegetables should be ample in all healthy diets. And the research on low carb diets have not shown them to be any more healthful in the long term (most of the research that showed positive results where only over a few months). The long term effects of a very low carb diet is still unknown and may have adverse effects on cancer and other disease risks. Also the research has shown that after 2 years, weight loss from low carb diets is the same as for a prudent, healthy diet moderate in carbs, fat and protein.
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9
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Posted:
Jul 25, 2008 10:22 AM
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Thank you for the responses! Just a couple of things - there has been recent research in the news on "diets" including low carb. The results showed that low carb actually worked the best and even lowered cholesterol. I prefer not to call it a "diet" either. It is actually much healthier eating than I had been doing in the past few months. I was eating and craving far too many carbs and sweets. Once this craving subsides, I will be incorporating those other carbs back into my diet as I did 5 years ago. I kept my weight off for 4 1/2 years by doing the low carb and then maintaining by eating carbs as a "normal" person should! I enjoyed my weekend splurges and holiday feasts!
It is much better to think about what I am putting into my body, instead of just grabbing that bag of chips or diving into a convenience food because it is easy.
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939
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Posted:
Jul 24, 2008 2:10 PM
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The "addition" rather than "exclusion" trick is a great one- and one that I often teach to my clients (especially for ones who can easily get feeling denied by trying to avoid certain foods). And hanging the food guide pyramid (or any other healthy eating guide) on the fridge is a great idea as well! I hang FG pyramids and posters of serving size tools (CD, a computer mouse, 2 dice, etc...) in pretty much every school or cafeteria where I have worked.
Congratulations on successfully encourporating healthy eating into your daily lives! 
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Posts:
45
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Posted:
Jul 24, 2008 11:16 AM
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It's tough working in an office and being surrounded by people that like to eat. When I decided to lose weight a few years ago, I identified the things I was eating too much of, ie, potatoes and pasta and *ugh* MOUNTAIN DEW!
Instead of saying "I'm not going to eat those things anymore," I made a list of things I WASN'T eating enough of and made a pact with myself to add more of those items to my diet (ahh, process of elimination in reverse). As of today, I am 60 pounds lighter and feel a lot better by using this little bit of reverse psychology! I think too many people try to eliminate foods without making a plan for what to have instead. I still eat potatoes and pasta, but not for every meal now  Oh, and I can't stand Mt. Dew anymore, it gives me an awful headache and makes my stomach churn just thinking about it!
You might also try this at work: I recently worked for a company with a long established "Wellness Committee" that organized office outings, encouraged employees to bring healthy snacks etc. They even teamed up with the local hospital's dieticians and hosted several "Lunch and Learns," which were great!
Finally, after having worked many years in the healthcare industry (I'm just a secretary, but being around this type of people rubs off on a person), I have to say that before you do anything drastic, you should consult with a doctor, dietician, or other healthcare professional. No one's needs are exactly the same Good luck!
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Posts:
62
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Posted:
Jul 24, 2008 11:10 AM
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> The best "diet" I ever tried was to post the food
> pyramid on my refrigerator, then I made sure I got
> all the recommended servings from each food group
> every day. I was NEVER hungry, and the weight melted
> off. My body was getting what it needed and using
> it.
>
> I'm convinced most "diets" don't work. To me, to
> call it a diet is to imply there is an end in sight.
> We all tend to go back to those same habits that got
> t us in trouble in the first place, once the diet is
> "over." A balanced diet with moderate exercise
> should be the norm, with splurges allowed from time
> to time. I know I'm sounding preachy - I struggle,
> too, every day of my life! I'm just tired of people
> playing on my fears and frustration with miracle
> cures when I should just develop healthier habits.
>
> I'm gonna go eat a salad now.
>
> 
> 
>
What a FANTASTIC idea!
I am going to do the same thing TODAY!
Just cutting carbohydrates from your diet is dangerous and unhealthy. You need "good" carbs!!
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Posts:
221
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Posted:
Jul 24, 2008 10:36 AM
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The best "diet" I ever tried was to post the food pyramid on my refrigerator, then I made sure I got all the recommended servings from each food group every day. I was NEVER hungry, and the weight melted off. My body was getting what it needed and using it.
I'm convinced most "diets" don't work. To me, to call it a diet is to imply there is an end in sight. We all tend to go back to those same habits that got us in trouble in the first place, once the diet is "over." A balanced diet with moderate exercise should be the norm, with splurges allowed from time to time. I know I'm sounding preachy - I struggle, too, every day of my life! I'm just tired of people playing on my fears and frustration with miracle cures when I should just develop healthier habits.
I'm gonna go eat a salad now.
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Posts:
250
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Posted:
Jul 24, 2008 9:51 AM
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I'm surprised people still do the Atkins diet after all the publicity of how bad it was for you.
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Posts:
1,787
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Posted:
Jul 24, 2008 8:23 AM
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You could look at www.gidiet.com. It is similar to South Beach without the phases. I lost 30 pounds on it 3 years ago and love the way I feel.
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Moderator_Jane
Posts:
1,656
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Posted:
Jul 24, 2008 8:14 AM
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> Sorry, Atkins. I stuck to what worked for me before.
I've only successfully done South Beach, because my system doesn't seem to tolerate Adkins very well.
There are a lot of ideas and recipes here: http://www.kraftfoods.com/SouthBeachLiving//CMS_Templates/IFrame_Template.aspx.
Even if you are back on Atkins, many of the recipes will work on that plan, too.
Good luck!
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Posts:
9
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Posted:
Jul 23, 2008 8:45 PM
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Sorry, Atkins. I stuck to what worked for me before.
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Posts:
355
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Posted:
Jul 23, 2008 3:11 PM
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It depends on what kind of low carb you're doing--Atkins style or South Beach style?
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