Too Fat To Fit ?

[RB51]

It has been a lifestyle change, and not a diet.

How true this is. A few years ago I had a bit of a life altering medical event and was told that it would be in my best interest to lose some weight. After checking around a bit I decided to follow the South Beach diet, which was designed for cardiac patients and not specifically as a weight loss program. I've managed to lose and keep off 40pounds for five years now and feel the much better for it. To really simplify the the diet, it's about eating all things in moderation, and making the conscious choice that you ARE going to change your lifestyle. Your body still needs things like salt and sugars, just not as much as you thought you did before. I still go out for a burger and fries, just not as often as I once did. I never was much of a beer drinker but I still enjoy as nice dark brew occasionally. If my weight does creep up a few pounds, as it does tend to do over holidays etc, I just watch my intake for awhile and make sure I get out for the morning walk.

What I've learned from this whole process is that I do have choices, and that nobody is going to make them for me....it's my decision as to how I'm going to live.

Good luck with your quest to have a smaller you, and do let us know how you are doing.

Laurie

[Kilt TN]

Drink lots of water, I have lost 36 lbs just drinking water

[Lachlan09]

I’ve kept strictly to the diet so far – I’m on my 4th day now. I will weigh myself after 1 week is complete. The mainstay of the diet is a high-veg content soup to last the week, you can have it as often as wanted, but at least once a day. The soup I am using doesn’t have cabbage (but it can be included and seems to be the more usual variety) and comprises:-

1 bunch celery
1 large onion
I pound of carrots
2 x 16 oz cans of green beens (I used the same weight in frozen green string beens)
1 x 16 oz can chopped tomatoes (or equivalent fresh)
1 leek (my idea)
2 x cans beef broth (or equivalent in Oxo or chicken broth). I couldn’t find beef broth (consommé) so I used 2 x cans Campbells veg/noodle soup made with beef broth.
1 packet chicken noodle soup
Herbs or spices, Worcestershire Sauce, as desired (I didn’t use any, relying on the natural flavour of the veg)

Basically, chop all up and put in a big pot, add some water (not too much) and bring to boil and then simmer for 30-45 mins. Cool, make into portions in freezer bags and store.

Now for the menu:-

Day One (for me = Saturday): Fruit (any except bananas) and soup:- I had for breakfast – slices of various melon; lunch – soup, apple; dinner – soup, various fruit.

End of day – felt hungry but soup was delicious

Day Two – (Sunday): Vegetables and soup:- I had for breakfast – raw baby carrots; lunch – soup and tomato juice , dinner – soup, roasted vegetables (courgette, marrow, red/green/yellow peppers, onion, tomato), baked potato with tiny amount of butter.

Snacked at work on cherry tomatoes.

End of day – hunger pangs not really the problem, it’s amazing tiredness that’s the killer.

Day Three – (Monday): Vegetables, fruit and soup:- I had for breakfast – slices of various melon; lunch – soup and fruit , dinner – soup, roasted vegetables (courgette, marrow, red/green/yellow peppers, onion, tomato), various fruit.

Snacked at work on Californian raspberries.

End of day – Morning - tired and depleted; evening – feeling better and bit more alert.

Day Four – (Tuesday - today): 3 or more Bananas, skimmed milk and soup:- I had for breakfast – one banana and glass of skimmed milk. Feel okay

lunch will be – soup, banana and skimmed milk; dinner – soup, bananas and skimmed milk.

Day Five – (Wednesday): Meat, tomatoes and soup:- Breakfast will no doubt be cherry tomatoes; lunch = soup; dinner, soup, up to 20oz of lean beef or other meat. I think I will have grilled steak and tomatoes ! A bit of spice to be added.

Day Six – (Thursday): Meat, veg and soup:- Breakfast cherry tomatoes ?; lunch = soup; dinner, soup, up to 20oz of lean beef or other meat. I think I will have grilled chicken and roasted veg !

Day Seven – (Friday): Brown rice, veg and soup (unlimited), unsweetened orange juice:- Breakfast ?; lunch = soup with some brown rice; dinner = brown rice, soup, roasted veg.

Lessons learned; menu will become boring pretty quickly and methods to add interest without spoiling the diet are needed. For the first week I will stick purely to the diet and thereafter try to adapt her and there.

Soup – 1) make the soup then decant half the soup without Worcestershire Sauce, then add the sauce to the remaining half, then decant, so soups can be alternated.
2) Make another soup in the same way but vary contents. I was thinking to make a Russian Borsch type soup with beetroot, cabbage, other veg and vinegar. Instead of potatoes, perhaps I can use parsnips; things like that.
3) Make a Scottish-style soup, a meaty broth using most of the veg above but with swede and parsnip and curly kale if available. (just like mum used to make with mutton).

Meat – can be chicken, fish, lamb as well as beef – but all lean and all cooked out of frying pan ! So can be grilled, poached, roasted etc. Kebabs are an obvious version, combining meat and veg. So is stir-fry (well it is a wok) using just a spray of olive oil and even tortilla-less fajitas can be on the menu (home-made salsa and guacamole should be okay)

Veg – as little amounts of olive oil are permitted for cooking, then veg can be roasted, stir-fried, grilled, as well as salad.

I think the lesson is adapt and survive !!

As for drinks, as this diet is apparently intended to also detoxify, I better keep off caffeinated coffee though the diet didn’t say to omit. I think I have to drink lots of water and I’m not sure how often I can take fruit juice (the diet only mentioned unsweetened orange juice on the 7th day). Cranberry juice is supposed to be okay for general use.

Well – that’s the plan. Now I have to get adventurous and think on variations. My son wants to be a chef, I’ll ask him to suggest things. (Which chef does he want to be ? If it’s Gordon Ramsey, I better get a swear-box !)

As you say - it's a lifestyle change and must include exercise too or at least getting off my family pile !

[piperdbh]

if you brown the onions and leeks in some olive or grapeseed oil before adding the liquid, the soup will have a deeper, more intense flavor. It sounds like a good recipe!

[starbkjrus]

snip...

up to 20oz of lean beef or other meat. I think I will have grilled steak and tomatoes ! A bit of spice to be added.

...snip

Twenty ounces of meat?

Good for you on the diet. Best of luck.

[Lachlan09]

20 oz, yes I know, but that's what the recipe declares. That with up to 6 tomatoes - nothing else, no veg, fruit etc. The next day says you can have 2 or 3 steaks ! with veg. Instead I'll have chicken kebabs.

[Lachlan09]

I'm on my 5th day now and as of this morning, Ive lost 2kg.

[dfmacliam]

kebabs sound pretty good to me... fits my diet grilled meats and veggies... with a spot of tea...LOL.. not the Arabic versions...LOL.. my time in Lebanon cured me of that... and coffee too

[Lachlan09]

Ahhh tell me about it ! Tabbouleh, felafel and houmus ! Here in Oman there's lots of Lebanese restaurants and Turkish too. The national fast food is shawarma.

I wish they had Greek ! I want taramasalata and tziziki and Greek kebabs (souvlaki) and slow-baked lamb on the bone (kleftiko).

[Lachlan09]

Well, just over a week gone and I'm 4 kg down. Not too bad, but I suspect it's all fluid. Next week will be harder. Mind you, I can suck my belly in more than last week and my wife tells me my belly isn't so hard as before. I also feel a little brighter and sprightlier somehow.