Help! Preseason Diet Miracle Needed!

[SkiNana]

Everyone is saying what an unusual summer it's been. Unusual for the weather some places, for crop problems in others and for the number of surgeries among Divas, I think. For myself, it not only has been notable for the surgery, but for the unreasonably long and ineffective recovery process.

Nearly five months after shoulder surgery, and a fall which further delayed recovery, I find that while I have been concentrating on PT and shoulder exercises, I have been allowing DH to coddle me in other ways and the evidence shows on the scale!

It's really only about twelve pounds altogether, but let's call it twenty. It's a nice round number and I was too fat to begin with. Not only do I need to lose weight, I need to lose it before ski season starts - on Thanksgiving! And I find that I am almost totally without the necessary motivation! I need a plan and I need it fast!

So, dear wise Divas, please chime in with any diet ideas you have found to work, work well, and work fast. I know the wisest ones are those on the Weight Watchers well-rounded model, but I am inclined, perhaps, to start with a high protein, low carb plan that promises some quick results to inspire me to really get excited about the project. It's not that I won't be able to get into my ski pants either way, but I will feel so much better without the extra weight, and I'll ski better too. Thanks in advance!



.

 

[want2ski4ever]

+1 on that, Ski Nana! Any ideas, fellow Ski Divas?

 

[geargrrl]

No diet. Modify your eating plan as a a lifestyle choice and stick with it. That being said, I did nutrition tracking combined with exercise and lost 8% body fat in 12 weeks last fall. I thought I was eating pretty well, but analyzing every bite that went into my mouth was an eye opener. I used the app myfitnesspal. If you set it up right, it will give you guidelines on how much eat to maintain healthy weight loss, and eat well.

 

[abc]

Not only do I need to lose weight, I need to lose it before ski season starts - on Thanksgiving! And I find that I am almost totally without the necessary motivation! I need a plan and I need it fast!

Be careful, losing weight "fast" often end up gaining MORE weight just as fast...

 

[gr8outdoors]

I used weight watchers - didn't join, just had a friend who is a member get the books and the points counter for me. It was a real wake up call when I realized how many "points" I had been eating versus what was recommended. I'm not over weight, but all of my pants were getting really tight. I lost 4 or 5 pounds in less than a month. It really does work! The more you exercise, the more points you can have, but those points are based on weight and length and intensity of the exercise.

 

[mustski]

I have a bunch of recipes that I started using when my doctor told me to lower my cholesterol. It is basically a low fat diet, but I lost inches fast and the food is delicious and easy to cook. My whole family eats that way now because it is what I cook. If you want the recipes, pm me and I will email them to you. They are already on my computer. In the meantime, here is really good jumpstart that quiets the digestive system and eliminates bloat. You only do it for 4 days. The key is the water ... a pitcher of water with one sliced lemon, one small sliced cucumber, 10-12 fresh mint leaves and about a tbs of freshly grated ginger. Drink a pitcher (gal) a day.

For four days eat only easy on the belly foods like cream of wheat, cornflakes, roasted or steamed potatos, brown rice (1/2 cup), unsweetened applesauce, raisins, plums, frozen & unsweetened blueberries, strawberries, or peaches, grape tomatos, green beans, carrots, mushrooms, yellow squash (steamed, microwaved, or roasted), low sodium turkey breast (4 oz), fat free milk, light string cheese, lean white fish (3oz), chunk light tuna in water (3oz). grilled chicken breast (30z) - NO SALT OR ALCOHOL. You will lose 4 pounds in 4 days which is admittedly mostly gas and water bloat but you will prepare your body to lose weight and the 4 pounds will stay off and you will feel instantly better.

2 starches a day, 2 dairies a day, 2 proteins a day, 2 fruits, 1 veggie. You can have use 2 tbs of olive oil a day in cooking.

 

[SkiNana]

Be careful, losing weight "fast" often end up gaining MORE weight just as fast...

If you retread my OP, abc, you'll notice I said that "I need a plan and I need it fast" not that I expected to get the results fast.

Great idea about myfitnesspal, Geargrrl! Thanks. And you can keep an eye out for my pm, must ski: what a generous offer to share!

Several mentions of keeping track: I really think that's one of the keys to success.

 

[litterbug]

Hey, we should be diet-improvement buddies! Allow me to preach to myself a little bit: A good basic start would be eating more veggies and whole grains, less sugar, moderate amounts of healthy fats (e.g. vegetable oils instead of butter), and lots of water. Write down everything that goes into my mouth, including tracking my water. Walk briskly or ride the bike at least 20 minutes a day (gotta start somewhere, and being outside cheers me up), and write that down too.

One thing that not only helps ski fitness but makes me feel thinner sooner is doing a 20 minute segment of my Pilates mat DVD every other day. I'm pretty out of shape--as always--and tightening up my core muscles makes my pants fit better. I'm a little panicked about getting into my ski pants, so maybe it's time.

I'll look into myfitnesspal, too. It looks like they have an Android app, and if it's easy enough I might actually use it!

 

[mustski]

I am more about the long term. I like a good jump start because it gets me motivated. I actually live my diet on a daily basis. I have to or my cholesterol skyrockets. On the bright side, the diet handled my middle aged bulge and it's actually pretty doable. Some of my recipes are even "guest worthy". I tend to fall off the wagon during ski season when the smell of cheeseburgers combined with my apres ski starvation tempt me beyond my "oh so human" limitations. Oh well ... that's life. In the end, it's a short season and limited by the waistline on my ski pants.

 

[mustski]

Hey, we should be diet-improvement buddies! Allow me to preach to myself a little bit: A good basic start would be eating more veggies and whole grains, less sugar, moderate amounts of healthy fats (e.g. vegetable oils instead of butter), and lots of water. Write down everything that goes into my mouth, including tracking my water. Walk briskly or ride the bike at least 20 minutes a day (gotta start somewhere, and being outside cheers me up), and write that down too.

One thing that not only helps ski fitness but makes me feel thinner sooner is doing a 20 minute segment of my Pilates mat DVD every other day. I'm pretty out of shape--as always--and tightening up my core muscles makes my pants fit better. I'm a little panicked about getting into my ski pants, so maybe it's time.

I'll look into myfitnesspal, too. It looks like they have an Android app, and if it's easy enough I might actually use it!

I agree about writing it down. I actually take 5 mins in the am and plan for the day. Writing it down for me helps me to keep it right. I plan snacks and cocktails and everything! I love my evening cocktail so I would rather forego the sweets. I know others prefer their sweets. That's why planning works. Make a choice and stick with it.

 

[Lilywhite]

Skinana, I'm feeling like that too, the 5 most important pieces of advice I've been given are-
1,Don't shop when your hungry, you'll buy bigger, you'll buy more and you tend to buy high sugar/salt/carb foods. If you have more you'll eat more.
2,Eat when your hungry, not starving, if you have little snacks all day so what? Your metabolism will tick over which will help burn calories, your blood sugar will stay sensible so less likelihood of craving junk and binge eating.
3,Stop when your full, seems obvious but how many people actually practise this? I was taught to always clear my plate, kids are starving in Africa etc etc. I had to dish up smaller portions to begin with because this habit is so ingrained, now I dish up less than I think I need knowing I can have more if I'm still hungry.
4,Eat consciously, I mean taste every mouthfull, really enjoy your food, this is nearly impossible if your watching tv or reading the paper, you become distracted making every mouthfull less satisfying which often means you will over eat as you won't notice you are becoming full.
5, Eat what you actually fancy, that doesn't mean chocolate every meal! Your body has a way of knowing what it needs, if you fancy choccy have a couple of squares, it will lesson the cravings/ binge eating that forbidden foods encourage, your not on a diet your eating healthy for life, if you enjoy your food you enjoy life.

 

[SkiNana]

Skinana, I'm feeling like that too, the 5 most important pieces of advice I've been given are-
1,Don't shop when your hungry, you'll buy bigger, you'll buy more and you tend to buy high sugar/salt/carb foods. If you have more you'll eat more.
2,Eat when your hungry, not starving, if you have little snacks all day so what? Your metabolism will tick over which will help burn calories, your blood sugar will stay sensible so less likelihood of craving junk and binge eating.
3,Stop when your full, seems obvious but how many people actually practise this? I was taught to always clear my plate, kids are starving in Africa etc etc. I had to dish up smaller portions to begin with because this habit is so ingrained, now I dish up less than I think I need knowing I can have more if I'm still hungry.
4,Eat consciously, I mean taste every mouthfull, really enjoy your food, this is nearly impossible if your watching tv or reading the paper, you become distracted making every mouthfull less satisfying which often means you will over eat as you won't notice you are becoming full.
5, Eat what you actually fancy, that doesn't mean chocolate every meal! Your body has a way of knowing what it needs, if you fancy choccy have a couple of squares, it will lesson the cravings/ binge eating that forbidden foods encourage, your not on a diet your eating healthy for life, if you enjoy your food you enjoy life.

Lily, my long lost sister! Surely, for you to have written that, we were raised by the same mother! Except that American children have to clean their plates for the starving children in CHINA - or used to, anyway.

Yours are excellent suggestions, as are litterbug's. Mustski, I don't know what to say: you sound discouragingly perfect and in control! Maybe you should start a skiing fat farm for the rest of us! How can it all sound so sensible and reasonable and be so darned hard?!

 

[SkiBam]

I seem to recall all those starving children in China too!

I'm not overweight and people always say to me "Oh you don't need to worry about your weight." Well, excuse me; why do they think I'm not overweight? (I'm really short and it would be easy to pack on a few pounds.) Like others have, I kind of plan my food intake (and simply don't keep things like cookies and chips in the house, because if I do, you can be darn sure I'll eat them!). Plus every Monday morning I weigh myself. If I've gone up at all, I'm extra careful for the next week. And, of course, lots and lots of physical activity.

 

[Lilywhite]

Skinana I'd be happy to have a sister like you! Parents are the same the world over it seems!

 

[VickiK]

I hear your pain. The 'LoseIt!' app is a great tracking tool. A friend swears by the Dukan Diet, which is sort of like Atkins/South Beach.

 

[tradygirl]

High intensity interval training.

And don't eat crappy food.

Honestly, everyone else already nailed it. Track your food intake and calories, stick to lean protein, "good" fats, fruits and veggies. Cut out all sugar (and sugar "alternatives"), soda, alcohol, and non-whole grain starches. If you want to get a little nuts to lose weight quickly for a month or so, try paleo or raw food diet, etc that are more restrictive, but I wouldn't recommend that for long-term.

 

[litterbug]

Yesterday a friend told me that she and her partner are "enjoying" the Dukan diet. She's in the second phase, where you introduce some carbs (we snacked on chocolate pudding, and she ate quite a healthy portion).

The main difference between it and the Atkins diet seems to be a focus on lean protein and healthy fats rather than all the bacon and cheese you can get your hands on. The no carb phase is 3 days long, during which you can feel tired. I did the analysis on the website, and it looks like weight loss is pretty quick over the first few months. Like Atkins, it involves ketosis; I've heard that there may be negative things to say about that, but haven't really researched it.

I don't know if I can stick with a super-low-carb diet, but I'll bet that I'd see some shrinkage in my girth just by eating more earlier in the day and focusing on whole grains and lots of protein and veggies. I just bought a non-stick wok (I'm hopeless with steel ones), so who knows, maybe I can get myself to do better.

 

[mustski]

Lily, my long lost sister! Surely, for you to have written that, we were raised by the same mother! Except that American children have to clean their plates for the starving children in CHINA - or used to, anyway.

Yours are excellent suggestions, as are litterbug's. Mustski, I don't know what to say: you sound discouragingly perfect and in control! Maybe you should start a skiing fat farm for the rest of us! How can it all sound so sensible and reasonable and be so darned hard?!

It's not easy. I fall off the wagon regularly and I am far from perfect or controlled. I just found a plan that is livable and workable most of the time. Since it's not a fad diet, all foods are allowed and I only have to plan around fat grams which allows me to eat in restaurants too. If the food tastes good, it is easier.

 

[Lori_K]

Ok, I usually don't post in these kinds of threads because these topics can be controversial.
Stick with your gut on the low carb plan. (Take your pick, there are plenty of them). I've been doing tons of research into a better way of eating, and have read several books over the last few months. (I've had some ongoing digestive issues that I've been trying to resolve, and losing a few pounds at this age is always a nice thing.)
First was this: https://www.amazon.com/Living-Low-C...id=1350357571&sr=8-2&keywords=Low+Carb+living

That book led me to this: https://www.amazon.com/Wheat-Belly-...F8&qid=1350357642&sr=1-1&keywords=Wheat+belly

And this. https://www.amazon.com/Art-Science-...50357761&sr=1-1&keywords=low+carb+performance

In a nutshell, cut out all processed foods, and only get your carbs from veggies. (no bread or other grains). The idea is that you change your body from burning carbohydrates for fuel, to burning fat for fuel. Once you get past the "low carb flu", your body should change to burning fat for energy. I no longer get low blood sugar jitters in between meals, I feel full on less food, and I'm very satisfied on the food that I do eat. And in the process without even really trying, I've lost 6-7 pounds over the last 4-5 weeks. My husband has done some reading and joining in, and he's also lost a bit of the pony keg he was carrying around his middle. Again, without really trying or counting calories. I'm also a big fan of Mark's Daily Apple, https://www.marksdailyapple.com/#axzz29QgAYeeF and this is the direction I think I will take long term.

There's lots of new evidence coming out that the conventional diet wisdom is all wrong, and the USDA food pyramid is wrong. A bit scary, but fascinating stuff, especially when you find out that fat is GOOD for you. I just had blood work done, so I'll find out in a couple weeks how things are working out for me.
Please, do your own research before jumping in to see if this is something you want to do.

 

[Jilly]

I've had a life long battle with the scale. Years ago I did the Doctor Bernstein diet, (only available in Canada or Florida) and one of my coworker did the Dukan diet.

Dr B insists on daily vitamins and even a potassium supplement along with your Vitamin B shots. It works fast, 40 lbs in 3 months, but keeping if off is hard. That's where my problem has been. I went back this summer and lost 10lbs. Need to lose another 7 before ski season, but decided not to go back to Dr. B. I'm using their "temporary maintenance" which is food plan plus 1 extra protein. Very low carbs which appears to be my nemesis. Holding but not losing, so need to pay more attention to what is going in my mouth. I think it's the fermented grape juice.