My food-plan, losing weight by eating

[heidrun]

This is an answer to a question that was asked in the newbies board, about what foodplan I followed. Here it is:

The foodplan i follow originated in Denmark in the 80´s and there are a lot of people that have lost weight through their organization. It is called in english weightconsultants (but of course has different names according to the language of the country it operates in). It is an organization that operates in a similar way as Weightwatchers. That is you go to an introduction of the foodplan and you are weighed. Then you go to a weigh-in meeting every week, or every second week. It is not expensive to go to the meetings, and that is the only fee you have to pay. This organization also makes their own brand of food products, that is made according to the food-plan. That food is actually very good, and their icecream is the best.

Their food-plan is based on eating a lot of food low in calories (like vegetables). Believe it or not but I eat around 2 pounds of vegetables every day. Then you have a fixed portion of fish/meat/beans/cheese (and everything else that is protein based, 9.5 oz every day, more if you have cheese), you have a fixed portion of bread (around 2-3 oz), 4 fruits a day, dairy products (1 lbs 5% or lower in fat, or 0.5 lbs if its 5-10% fat), fat or oils (0.65 oz every day plus the fat you get from food) and additional to that you have a fixed portion of other things like stock, cacao powder etc. In fact the only food that it is not allowed is anything with sugar in it (except for sauces like ketchup and oyster sauce, but in very small amounts). I have calculated how a typical day on this food-plan is calorie wise, and I am eating around 1200-1700 kcal worth a day. With this I drink a lot of water, around 100 oz every day.

I really like this food-plan for many reasons. I am losing a LOT of weight in a short time. I am never hungry, because I eat so much every day. The food that is in the plan is so varied, so I never have to eat the same things over and over again. Because of all the veggies and fruit I feel greater then I have ever felt in my whole life. I am simply bubbling with energy, even with the rapid weightloss. Since the burn of the body is increased by eating all the time I dont need to exercise to lose weight. I can still munch in the evenings, but instead of junk, I am making puddings and icecream from the dairy portions with fresh fruits and sometimes I even bake a applecake that is the bomb!! There are no side-affects by following this food-plan. In fact it improves your health dramatically because you are eating a very balanced diet with a lot of the good stuff (veggies and fruit). The only thing that I can think of, that is a little bit annoying is that I have to go to the bathroom a lot, and sometimes I wake up 2-4 times a night to go to the bathroom (dont worry people it is just nr. 1 I am doing a lot). But I guess it comes with all the fluids that you get from fruit and veggies plus the water you drink.

I am just thrilled to finally have found something that works for me, and I have decided that this is how I am going to eat for the rest of my life. I feel amazing physically and mentally and who would like to give that up??!!

 

[twinmom2791]

exercise

I'm glad you found a diet plan that works for you. It sounds like you are almost proud of the fact that you are losing weight without exercise, though. Exercise is important for so much more than just losing weight. It is good for the muscles, the heart, the pancreas, the lymphatic system, and definitely the mind. I hope you do reach your weight loss goals, but I hope you consider adding some sort of exercise to your routine as you get smaller and find yourself able to try. My goal weight is 100 pounds below my start weight, and I plan to add weight training to my routine as I go, if for no other reason than I just don't want to be a floppy rag-doll person when I get the weight off. Good luck!

 

[heidrun]

I'm glad you found a diet plan that works for you. It sounds like you are almost proud of the fact that you are losing weight without exercise, though. Exercise is important for so much more than just losing weight. It is good for the muscles, the heart, the pancreas, the lymphatic system, and definitely the mind. I hope you do reach your weight loss goals, but I hope you consider adding some sort of exercise to your routine as you get smaller and find yourself able to try. My goal weight is 100 pounds below my start weight, and I plan to add weight training to my routine as I go, if for no other reason than I just don't want to be a floppy rag-doll person when I get the weight off. Good luck!

I assure you that I am no couch potato. It is true that I havent been exercising at all the whole time, but that doesnt mean I DONT move at all or that I havent done anything physical in my life. Yes I have nearly never worked out, but I have worked through the years in some hardcore physical jobs. To name a few: I have worked in constructions (the only woman in the workplace), I have worked in a slaughterhouse, I have worked in the fish industry, I have worked on several farms and I have even worked for some time as a fisherman (or rather fisherwoman). That meant I went on a boat for 2 weeks. That means I didnt step on land for the whole 2 weeks, and I was working 12 hours a day the WHOLE time (worked 6 hours, eat and rest for 6 hours, then again work for 6 hours....). It was a boat that fished with nets, and that is the most difficult fishing method (physically), and when you were working you didnt stop working at all for the whole 6 hours, and if you were injured or felt seasick or just plain sick you worked if you could stand on your legs. The first day on the boat I got really seasick, but I worked, even if I had to vomit (and did so where I was working) and felt dizzy and really sick and weak. Fisherman work is basically really hard labor plus you are on a boat that is rolling around all the time, so you use tremendous effort and energy to keep the balance. When the sea is rough then you just get tossed around, and you are just trying the whole time to keep yourself from getting banged into things.

At the petshop were I work, I do some physical work. The shop is big so I actually spend a lot of my time walking. Today we were maintaining the fishtanks and that meant I was carrying buckets filled with water for 3 hours.
I am not at all a floppy rag-doll. In fact I would consider myself to be very muscular and very strong considering I dont exercise.

I am not putting exercise down in any way, I was just pointing out that I lost the weight without exercise, and what is wrong with telling the truth? Would you have been happier if I said I was exercising, even when that would be a lie??? I am sorry, but I dont lie just to fit in the weightloss norm YOU think is the best. Yes exercise is very important for our health, but I cant exercise at all at this time (I have knee problems, due to an accident), like so many overweight people with physical problems, and that is so often a thing that keeps them from trying to lose weight, because everyone is telling them they have to exercise to lose weight. I am telling otherwise, not to brag about that I dont exercise, but to give THOSE people hope. If you think that is such a bad thing to do, then its your opinion, I have another opinion about it

No hard feelings at all, and I hope you understand now my point of view, and why I am telling everyone here on this board that I dont exercise. I am not doing this to piss people off, I am doing it to give hope to people that cant exercise but desperately need to lose weight.

 

[twinmom2791]

don't be mad

I didn't mean to make you angry. A big part of support is being able to honestly questions each other - especially when someone's weight loss plan might be flawed or even dangerous. Yes, you should definitely be honest in your posts, but as your new friends, we should be equally honest with you, even if it seems tough. You will notice that people follow all types of diet and exercise plans on this forum, and we respect one another's choices. BUT, if someone writes about doing something questionable, they are often called on it, and encouraged to think about whether their plan is really the healthiest and best choice they could pursue.

I had seen at least two of your posts where you said that your weight loss so far had not included "a single minute of exercise". I am thrilled for you that you have lost so much and are looking and feeling better. But I was also concerned for you that you seemed to be proudly proclaiming that you do not exercise - not one single minute. Only your most recent reply states otherwise.

Ask yourself, in light of your assertation that you get lots of exercise at work, is your original statement that you have done this all without one minute of exercise really true? If not, were you being honest with those people whom you say you wished to encourage - the ones who could not physically do any sort of exercise at all?

The bottom line is, experts agree that successful long term weight loss includes BOTH diet and exercise. The person who cannot do ANY exercise is rare indeed. So the encouragement people really need is to find a way to move, however they can, and get in some sort of exercise as they lose weight.

I'm sorry if your feelings were hurt, but true support includes questioning harmful behavior, and the question needed to be asked. You don't have to do my program or anyone else's but if you are going to avoid flabbiness and poor muscle tone, you have got to exercise as you continue to lose weight, and I hope you do!