Need to find a new wagon :(

[ClaireCat]

Hello! I've mainly been lurking around on the Atkins forum, so hello to all you lovelies I havent met yet! *waves*

Ok, so short version... Tried atkins about 9 years ago and lost 2 dress sizes in a month, fell off and gained it all back and more over the next few years. I lost 5 stone about 3 years back after a bad break-up (best weight-loss method I've ever came accross! lol) and since then I tried atkins again last year, and I lost about 16lbs in 3 months - which I was quite happy with. Then came christmas! By February I'd re-gained it all bar 1lb! :sigh:

So, I started Atkins again, managed to lose 10lbs but lost and gained the same 2lbs for about 3 months. So I binged for the whole month of July. Re-started Atkins clean and green last week and I've not lost a thing.

I need a change of diet - my body isnt playing anymore.

I've been looking at Dukan, but because its also low carb, I'm not sure if it would be any better? I also briefly glanced over harcombe, but didnt read too much into it.

I've been looking at the Cambridge Diet but have no idea how expensive, or hard, that would be (I live with a stick thin junk food addict of a bf!).

Ranch has sent me information on the rotation diet which I've been reading over today.

As you can see, I've no idea where to go next. I do know that weight watchers and scottish slimmers are of no interest to me. I cant stand the thought of having to count points/checks! And I work with 3 women who do these diets and they never stick to them. One woman does stick rigourously to 1000cals a day, and counts every little bit - she loses things like "a quarter of a pound" and that just doesnt do it for me. Starvatio for a quarter of a pound. Sounds mean.

Sorry for my ramble. Just really stuck and looking for some advice. I need to lose about 4/5 stones - all suggestions welcome!

Claire

 

[tranquility]

Low carb calorie counted or maybe low GI/GL if you don't want to count anything.

 

[ClaireCat]

I had been looking at The Cheat to Lose Diet - sounds interesting. But like all interesting sounding things, its probably too good to be true.

Quite liked the fact that it actually insists on a cheat day once a week. I get cravings for things because I know I cant eat them. If someone is telling me its ok to eat them, I might not want them so badly, if that makes sense?

Its low carb and Low GI/GL too, so might be worth a shot. Has anyone else tried this?

Seriously debating Cambridge tho, but... what happens if I do stick to the plan til I reach my goal weight? Wont I pile it all back on again once I even start to look at real food, let alone eat it?

 

[txgardenia]

it depends on whether you are really impatient about losing. You could go on a meal replacement diet (like cambridge or exante) and do the option where you do some foodpacks a day, and then some low carb 'real food' also, if total meal replacement is too extreme. I am doing a meal replacement currently (exante) but ketosis makes me feel so incredibly bad, that I don't know if I can keep following the diet to the letter. It does make you lose weight fast. But for me the side effects have been pretty awful. I know a lot of people lose weight and feel great doing total meal replacement, but I am not one of them. I actually tried atkins previously and I felt the same. totally awful. So right now I am intentionally doing the diet in the wrong way, still eating the foodpacks but eating a few carbs each day to stay out of ketosis. I would rather feel hungry all the time than feel like crud all the time. It still seems to work. I guess the calorie deficit is such that it's going to work, ketosis or not.

Really if you have found a diet you enjoy, i.e. if you can do atkins and feel good and like the food, just keep doing that but increase your exercise a lot. I went off my diet for 3 weeks and ate a ton of junk every day but I didn't gain any weight because I walk so much. you would be truly amazed at what an hour walk will do for you. I am convinced that treadmills are not as good as walking 'for real'. i haven't ever gotten good results from a treadmill, just from walking outside. maybe something about how you have to work harder to balance on an uneven surface outdoors, or something.

Do you do workout videos? I am doing them at home because i'm too shy for the gym, and I absolutely love it.

As for regaining after cambridge, yes you will put a load of weight back on if you eat too many calories or too many carbs/sugar. you won't, if you are careful about it. It's not that eating solid food will make you gain. it's that eating solid food re-activates all our old habits that got us in trouble to begin with. You would probably need to count calories/carbs for a while to really make sure you are not overdoing things.

 

[meoww]

Cambridge costs 1.90 - 2.20 per pack (all sachets are 1.90) and you usually buy enough for 3 or 4 a day, but its up to you. The losses are great, its just blooming difficult mentally!
but it has flexibility, you can eat 3 packs and a protein meal or do the 810cal programme or 1000 cal programme.
coming off a VLCD is not as bad as people make out, my LL counsellor said id put on 6lbs in the first week, I didnt..! more like 6lbs after 2 months of takeaways and crap.
and cambridge has several steps for you to work through, easing you off slowly so if you stuck to it you'd be fine. Im struggling to stay on it atm (my own issues) but my weight is pretty stable.

you wouldnt struggle if you're already used to low carb diets, I have a new low carb way of life really, who needs bread?! ive not so much as sniffed pasta since last..December?