It’s the start of a new year, and people who are not happy with their weight are desperate. I thought it might help if I do a quick Review of Quick Fixes for Weight Loss.
I have seen friends go through surgery (and later gain every pound back and then some) and someone actually tell me they can’t attend a party because they are starting particular Diet.
For those of you who don’t know me, but understand it is my intention only to help, I want you to read this and pass it on to people who need to hear this.
Here’s the email I sent a friend who said she couldn’t go to a party this holiday season because she was going on an HCG Diet:
I don’t know if it’s my place to tell you this, but I have had lots of experience with this. You really need a coach – someone you can work with to keep you on track.
Last year (or was it the year before?), someone working for metabolic balance asked me to go on the program for free and write a cookbook. The thing that I learned (for the 20th time) is that there are no quick fixes. And, if you go on a diet? You go off a diet. It is way better to make lifestyle changes in baby steps. For example, I cut out all ‘added’ sugar. Then months later, I quit all alcohol. It doesn’t mean that occasionally I won’t have a glass of champagne, but I am no longer having a glass or two of wine, or a mug or two of beer with every meal. I have changed my lifestyle. I am also exploring being vegan. I’m not ‘all in’, but I have added a lot of meals that are plant based, plus when I go to the grocery store, I’m only looking for organic and vegan choices. In some cases I’m not winning. Eating out with a bunch of vegans this past week, I found that everything the restaurant served tasted the same. The soup tasted like the main dish. I was disappointed and totally unsatisfied.
Now that gives me motivation to create my 4th cookbook – Vegan Flavors Worldwide. Give people food profiles they can use with vegetables to have every flavor hit their tongues and leave them more satisfied. So that’s a good thing. And if I am more plant based, I can go to all events, and just eat the plants that are there. It does not alter my social life.
The fact that you cannot go to a social event based on a diet, is a red flag for me. You make choices. I try to make better choices. I’m not always perfect but over time I can see my body coming back into shape.
If I were to recommend anything, it would be to add more exercise, add plant based meals to your diet and one step at a time head towards a vegan lifestyle. Think of how good Bill Clinton looks. By cutting out all things animal including and especially cheese and eggs, you will drop what ever weight you are looking to drop. Once you are where you want to be, you can ocassionally have what you are craving. That won’t put the weight back on and it won’t kill you.
And the best part? A lot of what we eat is just a habit. You can break a habit in 21 days. Beyond that, your stomach produces bacteria that calls you to ‘feed’ it. I’m sure there’s a sugar bacteria. And as you stop eating sugar, it shrinks until it is gone. You just have to re-set what you are craving.
Denying yourself food? Not a good thing.
By the way, I lost 20 pounds on Metabolic Balance and put back on 30 when I went off the diet.
Here’s a little more research I did for you on HCG.
In fact, the Food and Drug Administration has advised consumers to steer clear of over-the-counter weight-loss products that contain HCG. HCG is human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone produced during pregnancy.
As a prescription medication, HCG is used mainly to treat fertility issues. HCG is not approved for over-the-counter use, nor has it been proved to work for weight loss. Companies that sell over-the-counter HCG weight-loss products are breaking the law.
…. diets that so severely limit calories have risks, such as gallstone formation, irregular heartbeat and an imbalance of electrolytes. Side effects have also been reported with the HCG diet and include fatigue, irritability, restlessness, depression, fluid buildup (edema), and swelling of the breasts in boys and men (gynecomastia). Another serious concern is the risk of blood clots forming and blocking blood vessels (thromboembolism).
Back to this blog: I am so sorry to say….. it took more than a couple of months to put the weight on. It’s going to take more than that, to take the way off with healthy eating and exercise. That’s the only thing that takes it off and keeps it off. But the good news is: what went on last, comes off quickly. So if you gained the customary ten pounds everyone gains during the holidays? Cut out sugar and things that turn to sugar like wine, pasta and bread. Those pounds will roll back off. Exercise. Start 3 days a week (every other day). When you feel stronger add time on a machine, or time on your walk. Later add more days, one at a time, when you can.
As a side note: I bought a good bottle of wine and a bottle of champagne for New Year’s Eve. I drank 3 ounces of my favorite wine….. and that was enough. And when it came time to uncork the champagne? I decided not to. That’s just habit. I’ve gone out of the habit of drinking alcohol, and it just wasn’t as good as I remembered it to be. Interesting, huh?
It takes 21 days to break a habit. Think about the habits you can break – need to break – in order to get back to being healthy. And if you need a coach, I’m here.
Happy Healthy Eating,
