I'll do it if you'll do it CABBAGE SOUP

How long do you do it for?  I’m willing to give it a go.

Come on you women!!  Don’t believe the hype!  We‘re supposed to be smarter than that.  You may lose weight now but how long will that last?  I LOVE cabbage and I wouldn’t do that to myself.

Trudy
www.maximizeyourlife.us

diets don’t work…when I focus on my insides, my outside takes care of itself.  true.  not a sexy solution but definitely a sexy SOULution!

anytime i tried to control and speed up results it has backfired with me bingeing or overeating.  I will be 43 tomorrow and have entertained this kind of thinking many times.  and it has NEVER worked.  just my personal experience…your results may differ.  For me, though, trying the same thing over and over and expecting different results is insanity.  good luck

I know what you are saying Lisa.  Why don’t I just do the moderation and be reasonable.  It is just not in my nature.  I will be 44 soon and I do not have a lot of time nor do I have patience.  I got out of shape bebause of a divorce related trauma that I have now mentally recuperated from.  Before that I was in excellent shape, eating a very balance diet and exercising almost daily.  So, I just want to get back to where I was before I started feeling sorry for myself.  Of course this does not work if you can not settle to be moderate afterwards.  I just feel a little bit too impatient to be moderate at the moment.  All the best  -Tuula

Then what do you do after day 7?

Sansimeongirl,

I don’t know yet, that all depends how hot I feel. :)  I would think at that point, I am back to my exercise routine, avoiding wine at all cost and eating a lot of salads.  That worked last time.  My friend is introducing me to this herb that suppresses his appetite. He says that instead of 3 meals he used to have, he is only having 1 meal per day. I think I will try whatever this miracle thing is for an additional booster since I have a real human being here testifying it is working for him.  It’s all natural, so it can not hurt me.

I’ve tried it before and you do lose weight….however, once you start eating bad again, you’ll gain twice as much.  Use it as a boost to get you going and motivated when you see the weight loss.  When you take a break from it, just make sure you stick with healthy choices. Yeah…better said than done.

All I want is results.  I am not lowering my calorie intake drastically.  The first day I had chocolate because of pms.  Second day I had the soup with cheese melted in it. I eat yogurts and fruit.  

Best of it all, something is happening.  I have been working out, and I feel pretty healthy about this.  That’s why I do not anticipate backfiring.  I am not depriving myself (chocolate, cheese).  However, becauce the main course (soup) is almost zero in calories, I can squeeze in my essentials in life like chocolate and still lose weight.

I absolutely hate counting calories.  Since the soup is so low in calories, I can eat a lots of it and feel satisfied.  For snacks I have things like cherry tomatoes cut in half and sprinkled with lemon pepper.  So far so good.

I am doing as lajane suggests, using cabbage soup days  as a boost. So far so good.

Lisaconehead, first of all, love your commitment and attitude!
I think you are right on.  However, everyone has to get to that place in their own time.

To all:
I have an alternative thought!

When I went to Athens in 2005 I lost 10 pounds in a week and I wasn’t dieting or trying to lose weight, although god knows I should have been!

Other than what other people thought or the poor fashion choices for size 22, it didn’t bother me until I wanted something more.

So, I am there!  I am taking the plunge.
I went to my doctor and asked about taking
something to help.  I was feeling helpless, and even though I hate the idea of drugs, that’s how desperate I was to make the scale move.  I just needed something to start the needle moving!

He prescribed “speed” and made other suggestions like weight watchers etc.  However, I am not really the “group” kind of girl.  He also mentioned The South Beach Diet.

So I walked away with drugs that I really didn’t want, and by the way have huge side affects and drug warnings etc,...“why am I here?”

So, I decided to take his advice instead of his drugs.
I grabbed the South Beach diet today.  I read it. (he said that it would explain so much and be an easy read, he was right).  After I read the first chapter, I realized why I had lost 10 pounds in a week in Athens and why they eventually came back.

In a nut shell, too many bad carbs trigger a response that is known as insulin resistance which starts a process of storing fat. It is also a pre-diabetic slope and seems to have been triggered when I had gestational diabetes during my first and only pregnancy at 37. The great news, is that by eating no carbs for 2 weeks, you can reset the switch! After 2 weeks you start adding back in smart carbs and the other items in moderation.

If I were to list what I ate everyday in Athens, it would fall perfectly into the food choices for the first 2 weeks and I had more energy, and fewer cravings.  I had no idea I was losing weight!  If I had been better educated, I would have done it another week and would have really made a long-term change.

My breakfast in Athens, sauteed tomatoes, feta cheese from the many regions of the Mediterranean, sauteed mushrooms, strawberries, pieapple, melon, soft scrambled eggs, fresh orange juice, bangers.

I would go most of the day without needing more and then would have a typical Greek dinner with lamb or Greek salad.

It wasn’t a plan…it was just good food, good for me and available!

So, I start my life again tomorrow as if I was back in Athens, although the fruit will have to wait for 2 weeks.  That is the only item I ate that isn’t a choice for phase 1 in the South Beach diet.

I can have low fat cheese and yogurt, I can have eggs, fish, beef, chicken, olive oil, avocados etc.  I have to avoid, sugar, baked goodies, bread, fruit, alcohol…for 2 weeks.  When I start adding back in, I start with whole grains again and with a much better education.

No calorie counting.  No portions to worry about.  Eat until you are satisfied.

The cabbage diet may accomplish much of this, however…good fats, good proteins are going to be critical to your long term success. I think having something that is really good for you that is flavorful enough to leave you satisfied, is good for your soul as well.

Best of luck!

BTW: South Beach states that 10 – 13 pounds in the first 2 weeks is normal.  I was on target before I knew what I was doing!  

part two

My son and I filled up on healthy proteins, fats, and tons of fresh veggies.  We did eat breads, which I don’t normally eat at home, but it was very South Beach-esque for the most part. The rare times we ate dessert, it was generally fresh watermelon that was in season.

part 4

 In fact, the ONLY time I have ever reached and maintained a healthy size (over 5 yrs now) is when I focused on my heath..physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually…

Hello kissykat!  How are you?  I read your post and you are so right.  I host a support group for weight loss the “healthy way”  diets don’t work, we need to make lifestyle changes.  As a matter fact our program is called RESET and it is all about low-glycemic, learning about being insuline resistance, oxidative stress and cellular nutrition. And yes! The first week it is normal to drop 9 to 14 pounds.  I just finished getting “serious again” to make it to size 9 and lost 9 pounds in 9 days.  Not too bad.  I usually don’t weight myself, I just have a piece of clothing to fit into as a goal.  But being in this group reading around made me wonder about the “pounds”  I am done with that, I am back to the piece of clothing.

Even though I gained my weight due to thyroid issues, I was able to control my thyroid.  (I don’t use any meds) started a new life of low-glycemic meals and even my doctor was scared for a while… I lost about 54 pounds in a month and a half !  Without exercise and eating all the time.  Did not starve for a minute.  Kept my body burning constantly.  It was awesome!  I have to say… I eat my pizza when I want, and don’t feel guilty.  But if I really crave it more than I should eat it…  I either make my whole wheat dough or buy the whole wheat bread dough and prepare my own with lots of veggies, cheese and some meats.

To your continued Health and Success!
Maritza
http://www.maritza.usana.com/

THANKS so much for your mindful input!  Great pics of your babes.  You are so right:

“There is a reason that we get this “barrier” of weight regardless of how much. For me, there are generations of women before me, the family of origin had many things that needed to be resolved and the weight was just the symptom.”

Have a great weekend and thanks again!  lisa

I would like to comment on this weight loss after 40 subject. :0)  I am now the size that I was when I was 9 months preggers with my daughter. (160)  And (did I just tell all ya’ll how much I weighed?) ha, anyway, It seems that I’ve gained about 2 pounds a month for a while there, and have leveled off for the past, oh I’d say year.  I was researching birth control options, because my 5 years will be up soon for my IUD, and I was thinking about not having it again, (the hubby has been fixed~yeah!) so, again, I was doing some research, and stumbled upon this web site where women were discussing their weight gain with the merina (or how ever you spell it) IUD.  It seems that 95% of the women had done exactly what I did, gained weight (no matter how they ate or how much they exercised) pretty much on scale each month.
My point is, that there are lots of culprits for weight gain, like meds, birth control, as much as hand/mouth (pie hole) control. So, I commend all of you for taking the initiative to take care of your bodies, and at least have the will to make yourself look and feel good for YOU.

AND, I’m going to have my IUD out in November, I have also semi started on these new eating habits to “manipulate” my metabolism.  I’ll let you know how that goes. (If it don’t work, I got “manipulated” out of about $40 bucks for believing it would work.  LOL)   Ya’ll wish me luck.

_Lynn

Thank you destinyboutique!  Oh, and by the way, I think I’ll make a pot of cabbage soup this weekend.  I’ve been trying to eat soup and light stuff for lunch.  So, that sounds good, especially since it’s soooo cold in my office. (brrr)  I love cabbage, a coincidence, I printed off a recipe for cabbage rolls the other day from myrecipes.com. it’s a great site, if you haven’t heard of it, and it has a variety of recipes for the cabbage soup.

Cabbage makes you fart. (Oh, I’m sorry, I meant flatulent) Did you know that?  lol!!!

Destiny

Great going!  Sounds like you found the diet plan that works for you and it sounds pretty healthy!  More power to ya!  The cabbage soup diet that I had tried was designed by a doctor for patients who needed to lose weight quickly for surgery.  I don’t think you could continue on that plan for a long period of time.  It did not really give you enough calories or nourishment to survive on for long.

Hi all,
If you are interested I am starting a group (tomorrow night) called Lean for Life. I’ll be teaching why diets don’t work (long term) and how to achieve Your Perfect Body Shape – and maintain it for the long haul! I’ll address mind, body, and spirit – and how a wholistic approach is the only way to succeed. I am a certified fat loss coach, and I have traveled down that path. I’d love to have you join me. We won’t count calories or eat cabbage. LOL And I can guarantee your success if you are committed to making a change. Watch for the new group tomorrow night! I also have a couple of health related blog posts if you want to dig through my archives (look for Baby Steps.)