Martin Katahn's Rotation Diet?

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Ellette - Because of your medical problems, I think you would do well to discuss this with your doctor before continuing. There are other more healthy plans for weight loss. If your friend does not have any medical problems she might have been able to do this without any ill effects.

Good luck to you!
 
Time to do it again...

Time for another rotation to get in shape for autumn. I am on day three of a 1000/1300/1600 calorie rotation. I am liking fruit, yogurt and bran buds for breakfast. Had a wonderful salad with tomatoes and cucumber from the garden, topped with low fat Italian dressing and cottage cheese, plus some low fat triscuits. Had a sliced yellow delicious apple sprinkled with cinnamon for afternoon snack plus a cup of herb tea - and it really was delicious. Made a big pot of Italian vegetable soup for supper yesterday and will have it again tonight. It's got green beans, Swiss chard, basil, oregano, and sage in it from the garden plus navy beans, carrots, garlic, onion, celery and stewed tomatoes. Very hearty and filling and not many calories. I have started a rotation a couple times this summer but didn't stick to it so I have to get serious and post here for success.

For exercise, I did some anti-arthritis weights yesterday - my third session after a summer slack off.

Hunger level not too bad for these first three days - I know I can do it!
 
Day 4

Up to 1300 calories today.
Breakfast: cottage cheese, tomato, whole wheat bread
Lunch: grilled cheese on rye (low fat cheese), salad
Snack: apple and cinnamon, low fat vanilla ice cream
Supper: baked potato, broccoli, meatballs made with extra lean beef

Sniffed some peppermint after lunch when I was still hungry - it seemed to help. Went for a bike ride in the morning.
Pleasantly full now after supper. I can do this!
 
Didn't finish the August rotation but time to buckle down and fit into my favorite tweed suit and look good for Thanksgiving. Starting at 180.
 
Four Weeks to Fabulous

Day 2 of the pre Thanksgiving, post Feast get in shape for the rest of my life diet! Starting off with three 1000 calorie days. Goal is to burn 8-12 pounds in four weeks and then focus on maintaining that weight with healthy habits over the next four weeks. First for Women magazine says a goal with a range is more effective - gives you the challenge of the higher number yet feels doable because of the lower number. They also rave about the many benefits of cucurmin from turmeric so I am eating a teaspoon of that in my meals to decrease cell inflammation, increase satiety, empty and remove fat cells, and improve liver function. Use with black pepper to increase effectiveness. They say you can lose 6-9 pounds per week so we'll see. 178 today.

Had yogurt, pear and bran buds for breakfast. Potato salad, an egg, lettuce, carrot and string cheese for lunch. Zucchini for snack. Succotash for supper.
Did arthritis weights this am.
 
Day 1 December rotation

Was it discouragement from the turmeric experiment? Was it unexpected circumstances? Was it a "who cares anyway" feeling? Whatever it was after a week the four weeks to fabulous plan was abandoned. So now Thanksgiving is history and in spite of all my intentions to "just cut back a little", "no snacks tonight"," I'll just eat when I'm hungry" I returned to 178 and then back to the dread 180's. Felt my double chin turning into a triple chin this morning. So in spite of the fact that several times since March I have started a rotation only to abandon it I find NO OTHER WAY in which I can successfully get back where I want to be so here I go again.

Breakfast: yogurt 120 molasses 20 apple 20 Breakfast was delicious - why can't I do this every day?

Lunch: pasta 200 cheese 90 green beans 20 salad 30 Again delicious. Put the green beans in the macaroni and cheese to make it seem like more. Light Italian dressing on zero cal greens for salad. My husband had the same thing plus juice and a higher calorie salad and thought he was stuffed!

Snack: yellow pepper 30 ranch dip 70 Feeling pretty hungry by 2:00. Had a nice sweet yellow pepper which I love but would ordinarily pass by for some dull old boring bread or cracker or chip.

Supper: vegetarian chili 300 Half a can of black beans, half a can of blended stewed tomatoes, a serving of corn gives you about two cups of delicious vegetarian chili.

Total: 900 Last snack will be radishes or cucumber. I have also had two cups of tea and put turmeric in each meal and snack for a total of 1 tsp. today.

I have had wonderful food, I feel light and healthy, I won't have to feel like a stuffed, failed, glutton tonight and there is every reason to continue on this. Time to build healthy eating habits and keep them!
 
Day 2 December rotation

Weighing 2 pounds less than yesterday this morning (179) - always nice to get rid of some water weight.

Breakfast: yogurt 100, pear 100, molasses 20 for a total of 220 calories. Once again delicious and sufficient.
Lunch: bread 180, cheese 135, carrot 20, cabbage 20, tomato sauce 30, oil 20 for a total of 405. Grilled cheese and cabbage soup. Once again delicious and sufficient.
Snack: same as yesterday 100
Supper: potato 100, salad 70 salmon patty 130 for a total of 300. For some reason I love a warm salmon patty broken up over a green salad.
Total for the day: 1025

Once again used 1/4 tsp turmeric in each meal and snack. Tastes alright in yogurt if you use 1/4 tsp cinnamon and molasses too. I discovered this by accident!

Yes, I can be successful for two days in a row. Food is not the boss, I'm the boss. Looking forward to eating this light again tomorrow. No need to dread low calorie days. I'll feel great tonight - maybe a little hungry but by morning I'll feel fine.
 
Day 3 December rotation

Alright, finishing up the quick start super low calorie days! Haven't really been thaaat hungry but have had to ignore some cravings. Once again had pear yogurt for breakfast, tomato rice soup for lunch, leftover cabbage soup for afternoon snack, fish and rice and green beans for supper for a total of 950. Had cucumbers the past two nights for evening snack: it surprises me that a nice big cucumber can indeed be pretty satisfying since it is mostly water! Tonight will be radishes. Feeling good but haven't worked in any exercise yet. Oh well, a step at a time.

I've had a lot of good food in spite of the calorie limitations and I can easily do this again on the third week of the rotation or whenever I feel the need to cut back a bit. It's actually much more enjoyable than overeating. Tomorrow I can add 300 more calories! Think how easy and pleasant that will be.
 
Day 4 December rotation

This morning I had a whole wheat English muffin that had been calling me - split and toasted and spread with peanut butter plus a clementine for a 305 calorie breakfast.
Lunch was Chicken Tetrazzini (1 oz. whole wheat pasta, 1/2 cup chicken, some spinach, ricotta, garlic and parmesan), a small carrot and a chocolate covered brazil nut for 420 calories.
Snack was low fat vanilla ice cream plus a clementine for 275 calories.
Supper was a potato topped with broccoli and an oz. of cheese for 250 calories.
Last snack will be a clementine for to bring the total to 1285.

I am rereading the rotation diet book - this time I had better focus on the maintenance part. I don't like to make a big deal out of dieting and I use meals we always have and cut back on snacks. I had the ice cream this afternoon to keep my diet secret (DH knows I would never pass up ice cream if he was having some; usually he has yogurt for his snack and I already had mine for breakfast). A lower calorie supper enables me to still keep to the 12-1300 calorie level.

I've actually felt a bit hungrier between meals today but it's been tolerable. Oh, and I did my anti-arthritis weights and stretching which takes 45 minutes. Good to get back into that. Feeling good, no need to dread a rotation and no need to ever overeat again.
 
Day 5 December Rotation

Alright, another successful day of light eating. Feeling good and as some noted earlier on this board, when you are eating less food tastes especially good.

Back to yogurt and fruit for breakfast, cheesy spaghetti with green beans and salad for lunch, carrot and peanut butter for snack, spaghetti spinach frittata and corn for supper.
Also had a midmorning and midafternoon clementine. Total calories - 1200

No exercise other than housework today.
 
I was curious about this thread as I had never heard of this diet plan.
I have read the last 23 pages of comments and thought I would contribute a few thoughts.

There is much good feedback above, but I thought I might be able to add some info that could help some people.

1) For people who have a difficulty losing weight, it is usually important to keep in mind that weight control is a lifestyle change and not just a crash diet you do for awhile to lose weight with the thought you can then return to normal habits and somehow maintain the lower weight.

2) If you know how to properly select foods, season them, combine them and space them out --- eating for weight loss does not mean starvation or bland taste.
It usually means 5-6 meals per day, and can allow spicy seasoned meats.

3) Diet alone is not enough.
Real long term success is seen by people who combine Lean Protein Based Diet + Weight Resistance Training + Cardio exercise at least 3 times per week.
(this offers other fitness benefits also)

The fact is I have NEVER seen a case where this kind of plan fails to help people lose fat and get in more toned shape.
Certainly there is a small percentage (estimated to be < 0.2% ) of people with some medical condition that may make weight loss near impossible, but for the other 98.8% of people .... it works every time and does not require crash diets or fads.

For example, a typical daily meal plan may look like this for a person aiming to weigh 150-165 lbs

PROTEIN-gr CARB-gr FAT-gr MEAL DESCRIPTION
25 2 22 4 Large Eggs
24 3 1 Lo Carb Protein Shake
50 10 0 Chicken Breast with Hot Jerk Seasoning & Green Beans
24 3 1 Lo Carb Protein Shake
24 3 6 4 oz Lean Beef & Lettuce
47 11 1 9oz Grilled Cajun Style Shrimp & Broccoli
24 3 1 Lo Carb Protein Shake

These days I tend to spend more time working with older individuals (Over 40) , but the basic rules apply for everybody
In fact, I just spent 2 years working with a large group of people at a Hospital related fitness center putting together a 432 page book that outlines a 3-part program of Diet/Training/Cardio that typically results in 2 lbs of fat loss per week and improved BMR and muscle tone for even older individuals.

No matter what kind of reduced diet plan you choose to follow, one should keep in mind that diet alone only does so much and often does not yield long term success since the overall calorie reduction also causes a downshift in basic metabolism

A 3-part plan is the best time proven strategy

Michael Spitzer- author - Fitness at 40,50,60 and Beyond
 
Day 6 December rotation

Thank you Mr. Spitzer for your expert comments. I have no doubt you have had wonderful results with your plan but there is no way in the world I could ever follow that eating plan! I do not disagree with your advice about lifestyle change, I simply find I have not yet been able to implement it. Something in my psyche is getting in the way but at least with the rotation diet I have a reliable plan to fall back on when I once again have neglected exercise and indulged in too many treats. Also, it is specifically designed NOT to lower metabolism because it ROTATES between low calorie levels and higher ones that prevent the body from shifting into starvation mode.

Forgot to mention that I was down to 178 yesterday and 177 this morning. Feeling rather deprived today and had more at snack time than I intended but made up for it with a lower calorie supper to total 1300 for the day. I had oatmeal for breakfast, Spanish millet for lunch, a few hazelnuts, 1/4 cup pomegranate arils and a slice of rye bread for snack and lentil burgers and salad for supper. I've also had 4 sticks of gum today - chewing it helps avoid eating anything else!

So I am feeling healthy, seeing good results, eating delicious food and tomorrow is already the last day of the first week. I forgot to mention the chocolate covered brazil nut I had after lunch. I used to have four but I am successfully avoiding that. Also, when my husband was having corn chips last night I had just one and then snacked on celery! Really you only need a bit to get the flavor and the first bit is always the best bit!
 
Aloe

Totally understandable.
There is not just a single method that works.
There are several ways to achieve desired goals, I was only describing one way that I have know works 99.8% of the time.

Also, keep in mind the description I gave above was brief and summarized.
It did not go into talking about scheduled "cheat days" and other caloric cycling
It was just a brief description.
 
Day 7 December rotation

Finished the first week with 1300 calories today. Fruit and yogurt for breakfast, rice cakes, peanut butter, jam, carrots and juice for lunch, bread and cheese for snack, tuna rice casserole for supper.

Anti- arthritis weights today for exercise. And I do agree with you Mike that cardio/weight resistance/diet are all important.

Hunger levels have been tolerable throughout the week and it definitely feels better to eat light and healthy than to indulge in mindless overeating!
 
Aloe

Just a question --
How difficult are you finding your current calorie restriction diet to be ?

The reason I ask --- I see much of what you are eating is high in simple sugars and carbs (and low in protein)
yogurts, juice, carrots, fruits and bread

So the calories are low but there is still a simple carb blood sugar element at play here
 
Mike

I'm not really finding it that difficult at all. I have tried high protein diets and not found them to be any more effective in quelling hunger and too limiting in healthy fruits and complex carbs. I don't like to have animal flesh protein more than once a day, don't want to have "protein shakes" - prefer real food.
 
December Rotation - days 8-11

Doing a little bouncing, been down to 176 then back to 178. Enjoying the 1600 calories. Weights yesterday, indoor bike and rowing machine today.
 
December rotation - Day 12

175 on the scale this morning - hope I see that again tomorrow. Over halfway through the three weeks now! I use leg weights during some exercises and when I take them off I like to walk around feeling so light and imagining how I can feel that way by getting rid of excess pounds. Today I did feel light and as if I had springs in my legs thanks to a lighter weight and stronger muscles!

Crisp oat cereal, low fat milk, orange, and a few walnuts for breakfast; garbanzo and butter bean soup and 2 slices of bread plus a carrot and hummus and a brazil for lunch; pineapple in Greek yogurt for snack; potato with tomato sauce and mozzarella, salad and 2 slices of bread for supper; cucumber and hummus for last snack - 1500 calories. (Made some hummus last week-end for guests and had plenty left over - I am liking it as a healthy dip for vegetables that adds a little protein and fat to a light snack.)
 
Aloe-

I totally understand your preference for real food and that is commendable.
I was only trying to point out that in my experience, many people who have difficulty losing weight unless they feel they need to almost "starve" themselves are trying to follow a diet that though reduced in overall calories is still to proportionally dense in carbohydrates .... especially sugars as found in yogurts and fruit juices.

Whatever works for a person works ............... there is no single solution.
And that is what is important

I was just offering some tips that might help if you find yourself hitting a wall and "yo-yoing" at the same point.

Thanks

Michael Spitzer
Author
FITNESS at 40,50,60 and BEYOND
 
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