Co-worker handed me a "new"diet to try!

[mjlanham2]

I have been doing well with Atkins with a total weight loss of 26lbs. I have 40 more to go and I am anxious to reach my goal. Anyway, today a co-worker gave me a diet from weight watchers and I cracked up. I think I offended her but my gosh, everyone is a freaking expert on diets! EVERYTHING she gave me on the list is fat free this or fat free that. It (Not I) actually promotes drinking diet sodas instead of your daily water. I about died when I looked at the meat section. All lean, trim fat, no butter, no more than 7% of fat on the meat and so on. She does not understand I have lost more weight doing Atkins than I ever could on the "diet" she gave me. This is a way of life not a quick fix, but whatever I will the be the fit one by July and not her.

[julirama723]

Re: Co-worker handed me a "new"diet to try!

mj--I know what you mean. There is a WW craze going around where I work! Everybody and their uncle is on the plan, eating those scary frozen meals that you heat in the microwave. Not many people know I'm on Atkins...but they look at me with suspicious eyes because I'm not part of the Weight Watchers cult...and they wonder how I've lost so much weight when I eat actual food everyday! I just laugh...all the way to the scale.

[Back2Back]

Re: Co-worker handed me a "new"diet to try!

I was actually just on this conversation this morning with my co-workers, about the "weight watchers" type of diets. The problem with those diets is that they do not deal with the problems that people have to begin with, having cravings for sugars, and subsequently, carbs. All they teach is portion control. I believe that typically the problems with being over weight are because a person does not know how to deal with eating the wrong foods. Trying to tell and "addict" to control how much they consume does not help the problem.

[Miss Phode]

Re: Co-worker handed me a "new"diet to try!

Wellllll...I have 2 things to say. I'm glad to know about Atkins, and glad it works for me.

On the other hand, my sister has been very successful with WW, lost 70 pounds after her pregnancy, and has kept it off for almost 2 years.

I personally believe that one diet is not necessarily appropriate for every single person. If someone finds what works for them, good for them.

[sadie147]

Re: Co-worker handed me a "new"diet to try!

I'm with Miss Phode...Atkins is the diet for me, but I also believe that not diet is for everyone.


My mother lost 65lbs on weight watchers and kept it off for years. But she was a much different eater than I am. She loved the foods she had on that plan. Me..i've tried it a few times and it just wasn't for me. To each his own.

[julirama723]

Re: Co-worker handed me a "new"diet to try!

I do agree with you, Phode.

One lady seems to be doing well with it. Like any eating plan, you've got to stick with it for it to work. Everybody else seems to think they're doing it (but they've never gone to a meeting or read any materials on it or anything) but they do it their "own way" and make up rules.

Hey. Wait. That sounds familiar.

[sallyseachange]

Re: Co-worker handed me a "new"diet to try!

The proof of the pudding (eeeeeek!!!!) is which plan are you able to maintain with, once you get to goal. That's where personal preference comes in mainly. I'm a major carnivore and love fats (also veggies)...so Atkins is perfect for me.

[kylie]

Re: Co-worker handed me a "new"diet to try!

I have nothing against WW - I started there when I was at my highest weight (highest that had nothing to do with a pregnancy, anyway) and I lost a fair amount of weight and kept the bulk of it off for two years. It was when it started creeping back up that I found Atkins for the first time. The main difference to me - and why I am back with Atkins and not back to WW - is that FOR ME it was/is the unstable blood sugar/cravings cycle that led me to eat enough junk to gain the weight...WW DID NOT help me with that...it was all about "points" and if I wanted to "spend" points on JUNK - I could - and still lose weight - but that didn't fix anything and in the end probably made things worse. I am thrilled for those that find ANY program that will work for them, but I do get sick of being talked down to by people on low-fat diets as if I am a mindless lemming that is risking her life to lose a few pounds in such an "unhealthy" way.

[swimr4]

Re: Co-worker handed me a "new"diet to try!

I agree....after my last child I lost a significant amount of weight with WW but I was always hungry and gained most of it back. I thought the meetngs were great and I made some great friends...the new Core program is more low carb but not as extreme as Atkins. Since I found Atkins I am much happier since I am SATISFIED and not always looking for food. Although I do miss chocolate I really don't miss bread and pasta at all.

[LuckyD]

Re: Co-worker handed me a "new"diet to try!

Weight watchers has worked for me in the past. But my problem with it is that i had to have an incredible amount of self control. I would look at the portion of the food I was allowed to eat and just think to myself 'is this all i get?' It was so depressing. And I was glued to the clock just waiting for my next meal. That is no way to live. Sure you can have all different kinds of food, but I will take a big steak and a nice salad with ranch dressing over a minature pasta portion any day of the week. The bottom line is that we as individuals have to do what works for us. And we should support anyone who is trying to be a healthier person. I just wish the WW people would support us.

[ttdriver]

Re: Co-worker handed me a "new"diet to try!

No plan works if you abandon it.

WW works for some folk, but it wouldn't work for me cuz I love fat ! But it works for others and I say GREAT. Whatever makes you healthier, I'm all for it.

Betty

[marcella]

Re: Co-worker handed me a "new"diet to try!

I had a several similar experiences.

Just yesterday, I was on the phone with a co-worker who works out of another office. I was telling her about this board and that I had just recently actually posted to it, and how exciting it was to be part of it. Just seconds after we hung up, I received an email from her with a link to a site called "Weight Loss for Dummies..." I opened the link thinking she had sent me something informative about lowcarbing. One of the first things it listed was why following a low carb lifestyle doesn't work.

She had included a notation that she used to lowcarb until she discovered this site. It does ask for a "small one-time registration fee" before you can even read about the plan. I quickly called her back, and asked what the plan was. Her response was that she had never paid the registration fee, or reviewed the plan, but just wanted me to read the part that says lowcarb diets don't work.

I was annoyed, but didn't argue with her. I've learned a long time ago not to argue with the know-it-alls who tell me Atkins is a very unhealthy diet.

I actually had a woman in the office accross the hall from me have the nerve to yell at me to stop in her office one day. She wanted to talk to me about how worried she was about my unhealthy way of eating. I was noshing down on a delicious chicken and avacado salad with bottled spring water, while she was sitting there with a Big Mac, a supersize order of fries, a Supersized Coke, and TWO McDonald's apple pies for desert. I didn't even bother to respond...just told her thanks for her concern.

[Secretminime]

Re: Co-worker handed me a "new"diet to try!

I agree with everyone. I know people who love WW but I was starving! I like that with Atkins there are so few cravings. The other thing that makes WW difficult for me is that if I have to think too much or make choices, well I just pick and pick till I'm overdoing it. I think one of the reasons Nutrasystem worked for me as well was that I didn't have any choices - just eat what I chose on the Saturday.

But I get really fed up with people badtalking Atkins and trying to tell me how unhealthy it is. I've tried to keep quiet about it but basically I'm a big mouth.

When I went on it last time, I was working out every morning at 6 a.m. and then on my way back to the car I would stop at a coffee place. They always had my coffee ready because they saw me heading across the street. I loved that. Until I went on Atkins and changed what I had in my coffee (I have one cream one sweetener - used to have sugar). This big fat guy who was serving me never STOPPED telling me how I should put the sugar back in and take out the cream.

So after I lost about 25 pounds and he was still telling me that, I pointed out that for someone who seemed to know so much about dieting and weight loss, how odd that I was the one losing and he was just as fat as ever. Yes mean! But I was FED UP.

[Lamby-pie]

Re: Co-worker handed me a "new"diet to try!

But my problem with it is that i had to have an incredible amount of self control. I would look at the portion of the food I was allowed to eat and just think to myself 'is this all i get?' It was so depressing. And I was glued to the clock just waiting for my next meal.

This was my problem with WW. I would buy the little 2 point ice cream desserts, lose control after eating just one, and wolf down 4 or 5 of them. Then feel guilty. I can't do the portion thing. I like being satisfied. No gorged, but sated.
I'm much better off treating sugar as a dangerous narcotic and avoiding it altogether. That is the midset I have, and it helps keep me on plan. (Not to belittle the plight of anyone addicted to drugs.)

[pgmr_64804]

Re: Co-worker handed me a "new"diet to try!

It sounds like your coworker is doing the core plan on WW.

I started on WW and met my WW goal so I am lifetime. I still go to the meetings and weigh in once a month and just tell them I am doing core while I am there.

It is sort of like atkins in that you are suppose to have unprocessed foods, but they want everything to be lean or fat free but you do have your 35 weekly points and any activity points to spend on junk food if you want.

Oh..you pretty much can have all the fruits and veggies and skim milk products to be "satisfied"....I gained after I went from counting points to doing core becasue of all the fruit I was eating...

Anyway I like going to the WW meetings but I have to bite my tounge a lot because we get lots of tips and pointers of low point junk food. For instance yesterday the hot topic was the diet coke cake you can make that is low in points.