Martin Katahn's Rotation Diet?
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I'm just not finding it. I've looked in every forum and don't see any thread about an "over-55 club". I've tried searching on "over 55" but get nothing (or way too much, depending on how i search. Anyway, nothing useful).
You are talking about a thread in a forum, right? If so, where is it? In the "On Topic" list? "Advanced?" "Newcomers?"
Or is there some other place on this website called "clubs" that I simply haven't found? I must admit that I find the site organization a little overwhelming and have never quite figured out what it means to "join a club" on the site.
aloe1
New member
finally some progress
Sharoo found the "age 55 and up" club but if anyone else is looking, click on the orange title rectangle at the top of the page. That takes you to a page listing the forums. The first category is "general", the second is "diet and motivation". Look there for "Clubs" and click that and scan through till you find it.
I have finished 2 weeks and 2 days of my rotation. Started at 178 and dropped to 176 the second day and after a flirtation with 175 stayed at 176 till today when I dropped to 174 after returning to the lower calorie level of the third week. During the second week, I had half a large pizza one day and one and a half Taco Bell "pizza tacos" the next. Both those were, of course, loaded with calories and salt. I thought they would cause me to jump back to 178 but held the 176. Most days of the second week were about 1900, a couple days were higher so yesterday I dropped down to 1000 calories and hope to end today at that level too!
I made a low calorie soup by cooking 1 cup of mixed dry beans and adding lots of greens, onion, celery, garlic, and zucchini which are all "free" veggies so low in calories I don't have to count them. I also added chopped carrots, oregano, and stewed tomatoes (liquified in the blender) and a little balsamic vinegar. That made four big servings at just 135 calories each. Before I have made minestrone, which is similar but ends up with quite a few more calories because of the added pasta and potato.
Day 16 down, just 5 to go - but will it get me to goal weight?
Sharoo found the "age 55 and up" club but if anyone else is looking, click on the orange title rectangle at the top of the page. That takes you to a page listing the forums. The first category is "general", the second is "diet and motivation". Look there for "Clubs" and click that and scan through till you find it.
I have finished 2 weeks and 2 days of my rotation. Started at 178 and dropped to 176 the second day and after a flirtation with 175 stayed at 176 till today when I dropped to 174 after returning to the lower calorie level of the third week. During the second week, I had half a large pizza one day and one and a half Taco Bell "pizza tacos" the next. Both those were, of course, loaded with calories and salt. I thought they would cause me to jump back to 178 but held the 176. Most days of the second week were about 1900, a couple days were higher so yesterday I dropped down to 1000 calories and hope to end today at that level too!
I made a low calorie soup by cooking 1 cup of mixed dry beans and adding lots of greens, onion, celery, garlic, and zucchini which are all "free" veggies so low in calories I don't have to count them. I also added chopped carrots, oregano, and stewed tomatoes (liquified in the blender) and a little balsamic vinegar. That made four big servings at just 135 calories each. Before I have made minestrone, which is similar but ends up with quite a few more calories because of the added pasta and potato.
Day 16 down, just 5 to go - but will it get me to goal weight?
New doesn't work; going back to the old
I'm 56, 5' 7", moderately active, post-menopausal and have 56 lbs to lose. I don't want to lose too much. I'll be happy at around 152 or higher. It depends on how I look not what I weigh, and the man in my life likes a woman with curves
I've already lost 28 lbs using calorie counting but it took a very long time, so I'm going to start the Rotation Diet as I need to lose as much weight as I can by the first week in September. Like others here I did the diet many years ago, took weight off fast and kept it off, but an unhappy marriage found me putting weight on. That's long over, and time to take care of my body again.
I know what healthy eating is, but won't be following the recipes in the book. The only way I was able to lose 28 lbs was by including 'bad' things in my diet. It was the only way I was able to stop the cravings for them It worked. Exercise is likely to be on-and-off as I'm a bit chaotic that way, but will include cycling, weight-training at home and walking.
The fact that some of you are around my age is very encouraging, and it was reading your posts that inspired me and made me want to join the forum. I'll be posting around once a week to show weight loss. Hope someone else is still around and on this diet
I started four days ago and have dropped 8 lbs, mostly water, I know, but it makes me feel so much better to weigh less - makes me want to be more active. So out for a country walk I go
Starting Weight First Rotation: 210 lbs
Weight after four days : 202 lbs
I'm 56, 5' 7", moderately active, post-menopausal and have 56 lbs to lose. I don't want to lose too much. I'll be happy at around 152 or higher. It depends on how I look not what I weigh, and the man in my life likes a woman with curves
I've already lost 28 lbs using calorie counting but it took a very long time, so I'm going to start the Rotation Diet as I need to lose as much weight as I can by the first week in September. Like others here I did the diet many years ago, took weight off fast and kept it off, but an unhappy marriage found me putting weight on. That's long over, and time to take care of my body again.
I know what healthy eating is, but won't be following the recipes in the book. The only way I was able to lose 28 lbs was by including 'bad' things in my diet. It was the only way I was able to stop the cravings for them
It worked. Exercise is likely to be on-and-off as I'm a bit chaotic that way, but will include cycling, weight-training at home and walking. The fact that some of you are around my age is very encouraging, and it was reading your posts that inspired me and made me want to join the forum. I'll be posting around once a week to show weight loss. Hope someone else is still around and on this diet
I started four days ago and have dropped 8 lbs, mostly water, I know, but it makes me feel so much better to weigh less - makes me want to be more active. So out for a country walk I go
Starting Weight First Rotation: 210 lbs
Weight after four days : 202 lbs
I know what healthy eating is, but won't be following the recipes in the book. The only way I was able to lose 28 lbs was by including 'bad' things in my diet. It was the only way I was able to stop the cravings for them
One of the things I like about the Rotation Diet was that it does encourage eating pretty much any food that you like, but in moderation. I guess that's more in the maintenance part than in the fast weight loss portion. But even in the very restrictive part of the diet there was a lot of food that I liked and looked forward to: meat, cheese, salmon, lots of fruit. I loved the Mexican cheese toast breakfast, and it's still part of my rotating breakfast menu. Of course if you don't like the menus in the book, why not create your own?
The fact that some of you are around my age is very encouraging, and it was reading your posts that inspired me and made me want to join the forum. I'll be posting around once a week to show weight loss. Hope someone else is still around and on this diet
Please join the "Age 55 and Up" Club! You'll find it under the "Diet and Motivation" section of the forum.
I started four days ago and have dropped 8 lbs, mostly water, I know, but it makes me feel so much better to weigh less - makes me want to be more active. So out for a country walk I go
Congratulations on a great start!
Starting Weight First Rotation: 210 lbs
Weight after four days : 202 lbs
Hi Sharoo
Great to hear from you. Are you still rotating? We have a bit in common as I love cycling and sci fi, and I'd also get bored stuck in a gym so I try to keep my exercise as outdoorsy as possible. Remember swimming in the sea once with fish below me and swallows skimming above; sheer heaven Sadly stopped that when I got up to 238 (unhappy marriage, happily long over now). The weight never stopped me walking or cycling though, because I could do that more covered up
I'm making this my first weekly check-in as I'm on my seventh day now (last of 900). I made a mistake before; I'd only lost 6 lbs by day four, but have lost a total of 8 lbs this week (210 to 202) and I'm looking forward to a week on 1200 As long as I lose around 2 lbs that week I'll be happy.
It worked so well when I was younger that I remember the routine, but have had to order a copy of the book from overseas. I'll look up that Mexican cheese toast recipe for those
I'll post a quick one to the over 55's now....
Great to hear from you. Are you still rotating? We have a bit in common as I love cycling and sci fi, and I'd also get bored stuck in a gym so I try to keep my exercise as outdoorsy as possible. Remember swimming in the sea once with fish below me and swallows skimming above; sheer heaven
Sadly stopped that when I got up to 238 (unhappy marriage, happily long over now). The weight never stopped me walking or cycling though, because I could do that more covered up I'm making this my first weekly check-in as I'm on my seventh day now (last of 900). I made a mistake before; I'd only lost 6 lbs by day four, but have lost a total of 8 lbs this week (210 to 202) and I'm looking forward to a week on 1200
As long as I lose around 2 lbs that week I'll be happy.It worked so well when I was younger that I remember the routine, but have had to order a copy of the book from overseas. I'll look up that Mexican cheese toast recipe for those
I'll post a quick one to the over 55's now....
aloe1
New member
I'm back!
Welcome Disparue and hello again Sharoo! I was enjoying not focusing on weight since the last rotation. I still can't seem to maintain my weight loss so here I am again! I really need to develop a habitual eating plan that will keep me where I want to be so rather than doing a typical rotation I am trying to develop a 1600 calorie plan in which I am not hungry perhaps by increasing the protein proportion. I had read about fitday.com other places on the forum so I am trying that and find it very motivating. (Of course this is just my second day of using it.) I like the official way you can record what you eat and it then gives you a pie chart showing proportions of fat, carbs, and protein.
I believe I did maintain the 172 for a few days, then 174 for quite a few weeks, but the day before yesterday I was 178 again. Did one day of 1600 calories and I am back down to 174 so luckily it was water weight. But I think I will do three weeks of 1600 and see where it takes me. I don't think I can match your success Desparue. Great results! And congratulations to Sharoo for keeping motivated and active on the boards!
Welcome Disparue and hello again Sharoo! I was enjoying not focusing on weight since the last rotation. I still can't seem to maintain my weight loss so here I am again! I really need to develop a habitual eating plan that will keep me where I want to be so rather than doing a typical rotation I am trying to develop a 1600 calorie plan in which I am not hungry perhaps by increasing the protein proportion. I had read about fitday.com other places on the forum so I am trying that and find it very motivating. (Of course this is just my second day of using it.) I like the official way you can record what you eat and it then gives you a pie chart showing proportions of fat, carbs, and protein.
I believe I did maintain the 172 for a few days, then 174 for quite a few weeks, but the day before yesterday I was 178 again. Did one day of 1600 calories and I am back down to 174 so luckily it was water weight. But I think I will do three weeks of 1600 and see where it takes me. I don't think I can match your success Desparue. Great results! And congratulations to Sharoo for keeping motivated and active on the boards!
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It's lovely to see you back, Aloe
Maintenance does seem to be the hardest thing. I haven't been a healthy weight for twenty years, so I will probably have very similar problems keeping it down when I get there. As you say, an habitual eating plan seems a good idea. Increasing the protein proportion sounds like a good idea. When I'm not losing weight I feel at my best on a paleo-type diet, but love of sweet things always makes me stray. This time I'll be relying on expending more energy on being active so I can eat more. Well, that's the plan
I started on Fitday and Sparks a couple of months ago, but in the end I found it too complex. I've studied orthodox nutrition in the past and know what I should be eating, but what I'm doing now is something nutritionists would throw up their hands in horror about.
I've got a very motivating reason to lose 42 lbs in just over three months, and I have a strong aversion to eating low fat, low sugar foods. I take fish oil and a few vitamin supplements but I'm too old to believe in spending money on miracle cures or that my weight is due to anything other than lazing around and eating too much So to stop me craving sweet things I have some as a third of my calories every day, guilt free. When I'm feeling hungry I can look forward to that treat and it stops me getting to the stage where I want to binge or give up on the diet. Over the years I've done my share of diets that feel like self-punishment. This one feels like a reward
Most nutritionists will say that it isn't possible to safely lose 42 lbs in 13 weeks, not without starving. They may be right, but I'm going to try. I'll be rotating without taking breaks and keeping as active as possible. As I've lost 8 lbs already, I now have 34 lbs to lose in the remaining 12 weeks. I think that Katahn would not have approved, but it's my body and I reserve the right to make all the mistakes I like with it
As for hunger, anything I know of that works is either illegal or bad for you. Finding something or someone to be obsessed with works too, but that never lasts. But we're all different, which is why there isn't one diet that fits all. I think we have to experiment on ourselves and make up a diet just for us. I'll look forward to hearing what the effects of adding more protein to your diet has on your hunger levels. Have you worked out the details of your 1600 diet plan?
I know what you mean about water weight. It makes that first day of dieting so motivating
Congratulations for getting down to target and being vigilant about keeping it down Hope to join you soon.
Maintenance does seem to be the hardest thing. I haven't been a healthy weight for twenty years, so I will probably have very similar problems keeping it down when I get there. As you say, an habitual eating plan seems a good idea. Increasing the protein proportion sounds like a good idea. When I'm not losing weight I feel at my best on a paleo-type diet, but love of sweet things always makes me stray. This time I'll be relying on expending more energy on being active so I can eat more. Well, that's the plan
I started on Fitday and Sparks a couple of months ago, but in the end I found it too complex. I've studied orthodox nutrition in the past and know what I should be eating, but what I'm doing now is something nutritionists would throw up their hands in horror about.
I've got a very motivating reason to lose 42 lbs in just over three months, and I have a strong aversion to eating low fat, low sugar foods. I take fish oil and a few vitamin supplements but I'm too old to believe in spending money on miracle cures or that my weight is due to anything other than lazing around and eating too much
So to stop me craving sweet things I have some as a third of my calories every day, guilt free. When I'm feeling hungry I can look forward to that treat and it stops me getting to the stage where I want to binge or give up on the diet. Over the years I've done my share of diets that feel like self-punishment. This one feels like a reward Most nutritionists will say that it isn't possible to safely lose 42 lbs in 13 weeks, not without starving. They may be right, but I'm going to try. I'll be rotating without taking breaks and keeping as active as possible. As I've lost 8 lbs already, I now have 34 lbs to lose in the remaining 12 weeks. I think that Katahn would not have approved, but it's my body and I reserve the right to make all the mistakes I like with it
As for hunger, anything I know of that works is either illegal or bad for you. Finding something or someone to be obsessed with works too, but that never lasts. But we're all different, which is why there isn't one diet that fits all. I think we have to experiment on ourselves and make up a diet just for us. I'll look forward to hearing what the effects of adding more protein to your diet has on your hunger levels. Have you worked out the details of your 1600 diet plan?
I know what you mean about water weight. It makes that first day of dieting so motivating
Congratulations for getting down to target and being vigilant about keeping it down
Hope to join you soon.Hi Sharoo
Great to hear from you. Are you still rotating?
Actually, I haven't used the Rotation Diet for years.
I posted on this thread because somebody asked about it and I have such fond memories of that diet plan. I think the basic idea is sound, although the calorie count in the "Women's Plan" was just too low for me, so my husband and I followed the "Men's Plan" together. I might just go back to the Rotation Diet, though. I've been trying to do the sensible 1600 calorie thing, but after about 6 weeks I just get too weary of being slightly hungry all the time and slip off of it.
Like most recipes in the book, Mexican Cheese Toast is really simple. You just top a piece of toast with your favorite cheese, sprinkle it with chili powder, and toast under the broiler until it's bubbly and delicious. Serve with a fresh apple or other fresh fruit. Apple goes particularly well with cheese, but I also like it with fresh berries.
Is 1600 calories a maintenance diet for you, or a weight loss diet? If the latter, it may be unrealistic to believe that you can eat at that level and not be hungry. If your appetite is working as it is supposed to, you WILL feel hungry when you are not taking in enough calories to maintain your weight. That's why the appetite mechanism exists, after all.
However, adding more protein might make the difference between slightly hungry and ravenous. Another approach is to focus on eating the recommended 9 servings of fresh fruit and vegetables every day. Not only is it good for you, it really fills you up. It's also a more positive way to look at food - you're concentrating on eating rather than on not eating.
Unfortunately, I am entirely capable of feeling full and hungry at the same time. A digestive system full of fiber may be good for me, but it doesn't fool my appestat, which keeps shrieking, "DANGER! DANGER! CALORIE DEFICIT ALERT!" Even more unfortunately, the dial seems to be permanently fixed on a set point of about 230 pounds, which is what I ultimately drift back to if I stop counting calories.
I keep hoping that regular exercise will ultimately move my set point lower, but so far it hasn't happened. So I'm resigned to the fact that I will have to keep logging my food intake and counting calories for the rest of my life, even if all I do is maintain my weight where it is now. *sigh*
I use an iPhone app that does the same kinds of things as Fitday. When I'm conscientious about logging everything, my weight stays under control. Whenever I drift away from it, I start gaining back. Fortunately it's easier than it used to be to count calories with all these computer apps. You just have to keep doing it. Anyway, I guess I do.
Hi Sharoo,
After four days on 1200 I lost one of the two pounds I expect to lose this week. No loss today but I'm going to step up my activities and hope to reach the week's target by Saturday morning.
It's a funny thing, but I've been looking forward to doing the lower calorie week again.
Before starting this I'd been on 1200 calories a day for ages. I dropped a lot of weight but it took so long and my motivation was flagging. Losing weight faster on the Rotation Diet has helped to keep me on the straight and narrow.
I'd be very interested to hear how you do if you're thinking of going on another rotation. Hunger really is a killer, but if you're going to be hungry on 1600, why not be hungry on less?
When you and your husband followed the Men's plan how much weight did you lose, and was hunger a big problem? I'm not feeling too much hunger, especially if I have lots of smaller meals, but I do tend to miss 'real' meals that way.
When you're doing maintenance do you ban any foods or just count everything in?
Thanks for the recipe. Your mention of apples and berries makes me think that it won't be long until the blackberry season begins. Apple and blackberry crumble's a tradition in our house. It's what I love about old fashioned calorie counting - being able to count all the sweet treats in
After four days on 1200 I lost one of the two pounds I expect to lose this week. No loss today but I'm going to step up my activities and hope to reach the week's target by Saturday morning.
It's a funny thing, but I've been looking forward to doing the lower calorie week again.
Before starting this I'd been on 1200 calories a day for ages. I dropped a lot of weight but it took so long and my motivation was flagging. Losing weight faster on the Rotation Diet has helped to keep me on the straight and narrow.
I'd be very interested to hear how you do if you're thinking of going on another rotation. Hunger really is a killer, but if you're going to be hungry on 1600, why not be hungry on less?
When you and your husband followed the Men's plan how much weight did you lose, and was hunger a big problem? I'm not feeling too much hunger, especially if I have lots of smaller meals, but I do tend to miss 'real' meals that way.
When you're doing maintenance do you ban any foods or just count everything in?
Thanks for the recipe. Your mention of apples and berries makes me think that it won't be long until the blackberry season begins. Apple and blackberry crumble's a tradition in our house. It's what I love about old fashioned calorie counting - being able to count all the sweet treats in
Congratulations! Sounds like you're really sticking to your program, and even enjoying it.
And that's Katahn's basic point, if I recall correctly: that it's easier to eat "perfectly" for 3 or 4 weeks than to be a little bit hungry all the time for month after month.
I don't know about him, but I was hungry all the time. However, when I tried to do the super low-calorie Women's Plan I was more than hungry - I was cranky, unable to focus on anything, and absolutely ravenous. I was craving carbs all the time, and couldn't make it to the end of the first week without breaking down and eating about half a box of whole wheat crackers (which tasted as sweet as cookies because I was so hungry). Of course, I was quite a bit younger then and had a faster metabolism. I find that I can tolerate a much lower-carb diet now than I could then.
Neither of us ever had the kind of weight loss that is hyped on the cover of the book (and I don't think very many people do, frankly.) I think we lost 8-10 pounds in the first rotation, and more like 6 in subsequent rotations. At that time I didn't have much tendency to retain water, so I didn't experience the big first-week drop that so many folks do when they start a diet. Since most of my recorded weight loss was actual fat, I was perfectly happy with 2 pounds/week.
I don't think it's a good idea to absolutely ban anything, but I try to avoid foods that are deep-fried. I still order French Fries now and then, but I think of it as a special treat, not as a healthy way to get a serving of vegetables.
There are some foods that I just can't keep around the house or I'll eat too much of them (Peanut M&Ms, shortbread cookies), but I do eat them at parties. If I went to more parties I'd probably have to be stricter about that. How about you - what are the treats you love too much to give up?
Hello Sharoo,
Thanks for the encoragement The change of pace is motivating, as is the challenge of working out the most enjoyment foodwise on the 600 days.
Indeed. But I'll be rotating constantly for the twelve weeks as an experiment to see if it will prevent me reaching the dreaded plateaux.
It may or may not work to shift weight faster than if I'd continued on the 1200 I was on when shifting the first lot of weight. Doing the maths, over three weeks it works out at 914 calories a day overall, so there should be an advantage. Only time will tell.
I'm definitely not as hungry on the low cal days as I was when I used the diet when I was younger. Not having PMT and massive carb-craving days is a blessing now Low calorie days used to affect my mood, but I haven't noticed much this time. I'm just so grateful to be losing weight. When I'm on 1200 I'm looking forward to the 600/900 week so that I can lose weight faster, and when I'm eating less, I'm looking forward to the week when I can eat more. Just as Katahn predicted. I think (the book still hasn't arrived from the States yet).
When I was younger I'd lose around 17 lbs in the month of the first rotation and 10 - 12 lbs on subsequent ones. I expect to lose less this time, particularly as I was already dieting on 1200 when I started, so didn't lose as much water as I did before on the first one.
You're like my daughter. She was horrified to learn that chips didn't really count as veg She adores chips and pasta and I see them as food and not treats. Her ultimate downfall is ice cream, yet it leaves me unmoved. But although her dad (my ex) and I both had a tendency to put on weight, she's utterly perfect. She has the body I once had when I was 19 and is an inspiration to me even though I'd never want to be that slim again
I won't give up a single one Danish pastries, doughnuts, milk chocolate, Florentines, dumplings, Yorkshire pudding (daughter makes a divine one), cream, soft blue cheeses. To be honest, I'd rather have a small amount of something high fat and tasty than any amount of low-fat food.
I was just saying to Val in another post that I've finally learned how to keep all my favourite treats in the house without wolfing them all down. When I started my original 1200 diet many months ago I planned to have as many treats as I wanted as long as I counted them in.
I used to ban them so they became irresistible and I'd go out and buy tons for a binge (in my early twenties I was bulimic for a couple of years, but stopped then and never think of it now). Now I have them around I feel in control. I had a doughnut for breakfast, but if I choose to eat a Florentine I won't have enough calories left for the beef stew and dumpling meal later, so I won't. I know I can have a Florentine for breakfast if I choose tomorrow, so the cravings don't get a chance to build up.
Basically, I eat what I most feel like at any moment. I don't have set meal times. I won't eat anything I don't like just because it's supposed to be good for me. And I ask myself exactly what I'd most like to eat every time I feel hungry. The only rule is to count it in and not exceed my calorie allowance.
If I had a bad day and really felt strong carb-cravings I wouldn't beat myself up if I spent an entire day's calories on sweet treats. I'm fully aware of how unhealthy that is, but at my age I feel it's far more important to lose the weight and keep it off so that my risk of all kinds of degenerative diseases can be lessened. Trying to be nutritionally perfect just makes me break diets. This current one, by including quite a lot of sweet treats, is the only one I've stuck to and enjoyed, and so far I've lost a total of 37 lbs. And according to my doc I'm still healthy.
I'm interested in what you're saying about not keeping certain foods around the house or you'd eat too much of them. That's the way I was all my life. If I started eating them I'd eat the lot, but my thinking was that I had to 'get rid of them so they'd no longer be a temptation' (like I couldn't pop down to the shops and get more). It was a feeling that I couldn't control myself, which seems crazy when I visualize it; 238 lbs of me vs a small packet of biscuits 
But seriously, I remember how it felt to be afraid of keeping tempting food in the house, and most dieters feel exactly the same, so I'd like to hear how it is for you. Why do you think you can't control it?
Thanks for the encoragement
The change of pace is motivating, as is the challenge of working out the most enjoyment foodwise on the 600 days.Indeed. But I'll be rotating constantly for the twelve weeks as an experiment to see if it will prevent me reaching the dreaded plateaux.
It may or may not work to shift weight faster than if I'd continued on the 1200 I was on when shifting the first lot of weight. Doing the maths, over three weeks it works out at 914 calories a day overall, so there should be an advantage. Only time will tell.
I'm definitely not as hungry on the low cal days as I was when I used the diet when I was younger. Not having PMT and massive carb-craving days is a blessing now
Low calorie days used to affect my mood, but I haven't noticed much this time. I'm just so grateful to be losing weight. When I'm on 1200 I'm looking forward to the 600/900 week so that I can lose weight faster, and when I'm eating less, I'm looking forward to the week when I can eat more. Just as Katahn predicted. I think (the book still hasn't arrived from the States yet).When I was younger I'd lose around 17 lbs in the month of the first rotation and 10 - 12 lbs on subsequent ones. I expect to lose less this time, particularly as I was already dieting on 1200 when I started, so didn't lose as much water as I did before on the first one.
I don't think it's a good idea to absolutely ban anything, but I try to avoid foods that are deep-fried. I still order French Fries now and then, but I think of it as a special treat, not as a healthy way to get a serving of vegetables.
You're like my daughter. She was horrified to learn that chips didn't really count as veg
She adores chips and pasta and I see them as food and not treats. Her ultimate downfall is ice cream, yet it leaves me unmoved. But although her dad (my ex) and I both had a tendency to put on weight, she's utterly perfect. She has the body I once had when I was 19 and is an inspiration to me even though I'd never want to be that slim again I won't give up a single one
Danish pastries, doughnuts, milk chocolate, Florentines, dumplings, Yorkshire pudding (daughter makes a divine one), cream, soft blue cheeses. To be honest, I'd rather have a small amount of something high fat and tasty than any amount of low-fat food.I was just saying to Val in another post that I've finally learned how to keep all my favourite treats in the house without wolfing them all down. When I started my original 1200 diet many months ago I planned to have as many treats as I wanted as long as I counted them in.
I used to ban them so they became irresistible and I'd go out and buy tons for a binge (in my early twenties I was bulimic for a couple of years, but stopped then and never think of it now). Now I have them around I feel in control. I had a doughnut for breakfast, but if I choose to eat a Florentine I won't have enough calories left for the beef stew and dumpling meal later, so I won't. I know I can have a Florentine for breakfast if I choose tomorrow, so the cravings don't get a chance to build up.
Basically, I eat what I most feel like at any moment. I don't have set meal times. I won't eat anything I don't like just because it's supposed to be good for me. And I ask myself exactly what I'd most like to eat every time I feel hungry. The only rule is to count it in and not exceed my calorie allowance.
If I had a bad day and really felt strong carb-cravings I wouldn't beat myself up if I spent an entire day's calories on sweet treats. I'm fully aware of how unhealthy that is, but at my age I feel it's far more important to lose the weight and keep it off so that my risk of all kinds of degenerative diseases can be lessened. Trying to be nutritionally perfect just makes me break diets. This current one, by including quite a lot of sweet treats, is the only one I've stuck to and enjoyed, and so far I've lost a total of 37 lbs. And according to my doc I'm still healthy.
I'm interested in what you're saying about not keeping certain foods around the house or you'd eat too much of them. That's the way I was all my life. If I started eating them I'd eat the lot, but my thinking was that I had to 'get rid of them so they'd no longer be a temptation' (like I couldn't pop down to the shops and get more
). It was a feeling that I couldn't control myself, which seems crazy when I visualize it; 238 lbs of me vs a small packet of biscuits But seriously, I remember how it felt to be afraid of keeping tempting food in the house, and most dieters feel exactly the same, so I'd like to hear how it is for you. Why do you think you can't control it?
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Just a quick update on progress.
After one week on 600 for three days and 900 for four, I lost a total of 8lbs.
After one week on 1200 I lost another 1lb, but had done a lot of weight training so am telling myself I put on a pound in muscle as I was expecting to lose 2 lbs that week
I've just done two days on 600 and have lost another 2lbs.
Total lost in 16 days is 11 lbs.
This is what I'd expect from a diet that averages out at 914 calories a day. And I'll be rotating continuously over the coming weeks, which is not what Martin Katahn recommends. However, I want to see if it will prevent plateaux. I don't want to take the calorie count any lower, so I'll have to do more exercise if the weight loss slows too much.
After one week on 600 for three days and 900 for four, I lost a total of 8lbs.
After one week on 1200 I lost another 1lb, but had done a lot of weight training so am telling myself I put on a pound in muscle as I was expecting to lose 2 lbs that week
I've just done two days on 600 and have lost another 2lbs.
Total lost in 16 days is 11 lbs.
This is what I'd expect from a diet that averages out at 914 calories a day. And I'll be rotating continuously over the coming weeks, which is not what Martin Katahn recommends. However, I want to see if it will prevent plateaux. I don't want to take the calorie count any lower, so I'll have to do more exercise if the weight loss slows too much.
Do you really burn 3500 calories/day? How??? At 215 pounds, my basic burn rate with just normal daily activities seems to be about 1800-2000. I'd have to add 3-5 hours per day of exercise to achieve weight loss like that.
As I recall, Katahn says you can do continuous rotations if you really want to, but be sure not to skip the 4th week of each rotation. He calls Week 4 something like "transition to maintenance" but it's pretty much a repetition of Week 2.
I agree that it's not making sense in terms of fat lost, so I'm assuming that I was losing mostly water for the first two weeks. For the first three days on 600 I lost 6 lbs, but this last set of 600 I only lost 2 lbs, which would seem to bear this out.
When I started I intended to do a lot of exercise all the way through, but severe hay fever has kept me inside (antihistamines make me hungry all the time as well as sleepy, so I did without them this year). I've only done 15 mins of heavy weight training every other day, climbed stairs, and walked up and down my kitchen a bit
But the worst of the offending pollen is over by August so I'll be getting out cycling and walking etc then, hoping to boost the weight loss once it starts to flag, as it will. I'm just hoping that my metabolism doesn't catch on to the fact that I'm dieting with the Rotation method
That's good news
I'm still waiting for the book to arrive and am relying on a faulty memory. I'm looking forward to reading it again. I'm going to stop the continuous rotations in October and do what's recommended until I reach a weight I'm happy with.Okay, Disparue, you talked me into it
I stuck to a "sensible" diet all last week and lost NOTHING. Feeling bloated and blah. So I decided to give the Rotation Diet a whirl. If nothing else, the first 3 days should get the bloat off.
I'm now in Day 3, and surprised at how well it's going! As I did in the past, I'm following the men's variation of the couples diet: 900-1200-1500. I'm following the menu plan in a general way, with liberal substitutions depending on preference, leftovers and produce availability.
Usually I'm ravenous by Day 3 of a quick start diet, but oddly enough I'm not especially hungry. I'm keeping up my daily exercise plan, which I thought would be really hard on such a low caloric intake. But the first two days went just fine. I skated for nearly 1-1/2 hours on Monday and attended a particularly challenging exercise class on Tuesday. I was careful to eat a little something before each activity, and had no problems with feeling weak or hungry. I've lost 3-1/2 pounds.
________
Monday's menu (834 calories)
Exercise: 1-1/2 hours figure skating
BREAKFAST: Mexican cheese toast, fresh strawberries and blueberries, coffee
LUNCH: huge salad with one hard-boiled egg and fat-free mango dressing, one serving of multi-grain crackers.
DINNER: Lean turkey burger with grilled vegies and 6 almonds.
___________
Tuesday's menu (1019 cals)
Exercise: 60-minute aerobic/strength class + 5 minutes treadmill
BREAKFAST: Oatmeal from steel-cut oats, 1T raisins, 1T sunflower seeds, 1 tsp butter, 1 tsp brown sugar, coffee
LUNCH: cottage cheese with salsa, black olives, grape tomatoes. 4 mini-pitas stuffed with bits of grilled chicken breast, small serving gazpacho.
DINNER: Stir fry: 3 oz lean beef with pea pods and broccoli, 1/2 c. rice
_______
Today's menu
Exercise: I'm about to go for a bike ride
BREAKFAST: Mexican cheese toast, 1 grapefruit (no sugar), coffee.
LUNCH: Wrap (made with low-carb tortilla, leftover stir fry and cottage cheese), 1 serving gazpacho. [Wrap was really yummy!]
SNACK: 1/2 ounce nuts, clementine orange
DINNER: not sure. Probably grilled tilapia and vegies, 1/2 c rice.
I stuck to a "sensible" diet all last week and lost NOTHING. Feeling bloated and blah. So I decided to give the Rotation Diet a whirl. If nothing else, the first 3 days should get the bloat off.
I'm now in Day 3, and surprised at how well it's going! As I did in the past, I'm following the men's variation of the couples diet: 900-1200-1500. I'm following the menu plan in a general way, with liberal substitutions depending on preference, leftovers and produce availability.
Usually I'm ravenous by Day 3 of a quick start diet, but oddly enough I'm not especially hungry. I'm keeping up my daily exercise plan, which I thought would be really hard on such a low caloric intake. But the first two days went just fine. I skated for nearly 1-1/2 hours on Monday and attended a particularly challenging exercise class on Tuesday. I was careful to eat a little something before each activity, and had no problems with feeling weak or hungry. I've lost 3-1/2 pounds.
________
Monday's menu (834 calories)
Exercise: 1-1/2 hours figure skating
BREAKFAST: Mexican cheese toast, fresh strawberries and blueberries, coffee
LUNCH: huge salad with one hard-boiled egg and fat-free mango dressing, one serving of multi-grain crackers.
DINNER: Lean turkey burger with grilled vegies and 6 almonds.
___________
Tuesday's menu (1019 cals)
Exercise: 60-minute aerobic/strength class + 5 minutes treadmill
BREAKFAST: Oatmeal from steel-cut oats, 1T raisins, 1T sunflower seeds, 1 tsp butter, 1 tsp brown sugar, coffee
LUNCH: cottage cheese with salsa, black olives, grape tomatoes. 4 mini-pitas stuffed with bits of grilled chicken breast, small serving gazpacho.
DINNER: Stir fry: 3 oz lean beef with pea pods and broccoli, 1/2 c. rice
_______
Today's menu
Exercise: I'm about to go for a bike ride
BREAKFAST: Mexican cheese toast, 1 grapefruit (no sugar), coffee.
LUNCH: Wrap (made with low-carb tortilla, leftover stir fry and cottage cheese), 1 serving gazpacho. [Wrap was really yummy!]
SNACK: 1/2 ounce nuts, clementine orange
DINNER: not sure. Probably grilled tilapia and vegies, 1/2 c rice.
I'm really pleased you've started a rotation
I got fed up of losing weight so slowly on a 1200 diet, and I think it's a great strength of the Rotation Diet that it provides a lovely boost to motivation when you've reached a plateau.
And although we both know that the first few days of weight loss is mostly water, it still makes us feel lighter and more interested in exercise too.
Of course, once you carry on, it's not all water. I'm on day 20 now, and have dropped a total of 12 lbs, so some of that has to be fat as I've been working hard to conserve muscle through weight training (not sure if that works, but it has to help).
I'm so happy for you
I wasn't checking in every day, but I will now so that I can see your progress.I'll probably go on to that one when my twelve weeks is up. It will be good to have more calories to play with.
I like 'liberal substitutions'
I do a lot of that. I'm still having exactly what I most want to eat without any ghost from the past telling me what I should and shouldn't have You too? I'm amazed that I haven't suffered raging hunger, even on the 600 days. I used to in the past. Maybe being through the menopause has unexpected bonuses
I'm the same. Far from feeling weak, losing 12 lbs has made me feel more energetic. But I haven't put my body to the test yet. Strenuous exercise up ahead starting pretty soon. I'm going to try to keep the weight loss averaging out at 3 lbs a week, so a great deal of exercise will be required. I'll be looking to you for inspiration
I love your menu; it made my mouth water and you're a lot healthier than I am. And you like mini pittas too. I love them and use them in all kinds of ways.
I daren't post my daily menu; I eat far too many biscuits for a start
Hope you enjoyed your bike ride, and looking forward to reading more posts.
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Starting Day 4
About half-way through Day 3 I suddenly became ravenously hungry. I ate half my lunch, went for a little bike ride, and then had the other half at about 2:30 p.m. That seemed to be working just fine - cold gazpacho was a wonderful treat after a steamy bike ride and seemed to fill me up.
Then about 2 hours later I was hit with that kind of primal hunger that seems to come up from the individual body cells. Nothing to do with the stomach, or craving for a particular food or anything mundane like that. It was more like, "Must. Get. Home. and. Eat. Dinner." If I hadn't been so close to the end of the first phase I would've eaten one of my emergency snack bars just so I could stop thinking about FINDING FOOD and focus on work. But as it turns out, it's a slow week at work anyway, so I didn't really have to focus. I did have to stay at work another hour or two for various reasons, but I didn't have to be productive. When I finally made it home about 6:30 my wonderful husband was just taking supper out of the broiler oven: broiled tilapia and vegies, which I had with a little rice. It was only about 250 calories, but it did the job. I'm not usually that crazy about white fish, but it tasted fantastic and temporarily quelled my hunger.
I started feeling hungry again 2 hours later, but managed to avoid eating anything. If I hadn't had a calorie increase to look forward to the next day I wouldn't have made it.
When Day 4 dawned (this morning) I discovered I had lost another pound, for a total of 4 pounds in 4 days. Cool.
About half-way through Day 3 I suddenly became ravenously hungry. I ate half my lunch, went for a little bike ride, and then had the other half at about 2:30 p.m. That seemed to be working just fine - cold gazpacho was a wonderful treat after a steamy bike ride and seemed to fill me up.
Then about 2 hours later I was hit with that kind of primal hunger that seems to come up from the individual body cells. Nothing to do with the stomach, or craving for a particular food or anything mundane like that. It was more like, "Must. Get. Home. and. Eat. Dinner." If I hadn't been so close to the end of the first phase I would've eaten one of my emergency snack bars just so I could stop thinking about FINDING FOOD and focus on work. But as it turns out, it's a slow week at work anyway, so I didn't really have to focus. I did have to stay at work another hour or two for various reasons, but I didn't have to be productive. When I finally made it home about 6:30 my wonderful husband was just taking supper out of the broiler oven: broiled tilapia and vegies, which I had with a little rice. It was only about 250 calories, but it did the job. I'm not usually that crazy about white fish, but it tasted fantastic and temporarily quelled my hunger.
I started feeling hungry again 2 hours later, but managed to avoid eating anything. If I hadn't had a calorie increase to look forward to the next day I wouldn't have made it.
When Day 4 dawned (this morning) I discovered I had lost another pound, for a total of 4 pounds in 4 days. Cool.
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