Conference rocks::weight_control

    In March of this year I found out that I was not, as I had believed,
    dying of a permanent case of the Flu - I had become *VERY* allergic
    to a number of things.  The doctor gave me a list of things I can
    not eat until my shots start to work (1.5 years if ever).  I looked
    at the list and exclaimed "Why doctor, I'd practically have to become
    a vegetarian."  He admitted that the restrictions were unreasonable
    and told me to do the best I could.  In the following weeks I read
    a number of books and articles about vegetarianism.  I was not
    particularly inspired until I read an article by a doctor who was
    not in favor of the lifestyle.  He indicated that a vegetarian would
    have to be very conceincous(sp?) to be sure s/he was eating enough
    food to support good health.  He said that the usual result of
    vegetarinism was an under weight if not under nourished body.  My
    interest was tweeked.  I had gone thru all of the lo-cal and no-cal
    (fasting) diets that had worked for some, but not for me.  I not
    only had problems with _what_ I ate, but _how much_ I ate.  I reasoned
    that if I became a vegetarian for just a little while, I could work
    on the _what_ I ate part and deal with the _how much I ate_ part
    later.  I read a number of "how to" books on the subject and learned
    how to be sure I was getting enough of everything.  The idea of
    worrying about not eating enough was very new to me.  For the first
    time in my life I felt that I was "nourishing myself" when I would
    eat because I was concentrating in getting enough.  I set no limits
    on raw veggies and I now can say to my suprise that I had forgotten
    how much I like - no LOVE fruit and veggies.  My very favorite snack
    is a bananna and a plumb with a V8.  I follow no specific plan,
    but I don't think I have missed meat, eggs or dairy products at
    all.  My allergies are somewhat improved.  I will tell you, however,
    that I almost wish I got them 20 years ago.  My weight loss is slow,
    but the alternative is a (ugh) DIET!
    
    Marion
    

    The reason I chose my diet plan (Weight Watchers) is nowhere near
    as uplifing as either 99.6 or 101.1, but it has turned out to be
    a good one for me.
    
    I chose Weight Watchers primarily because my wife was successful
    in going from 144 lbs. to 125 lbs. (at a height of 5'4") in the
    early part of last year.  She started attending meetings again in June
    to take off the 6-7 pounds that had crept back on; I started attending
    shortly after that.  The fact that we were both on the same program
    really helped make things easier for me.
    
    Although I believe that the best program is what works for *you*, I
    feel that the Weight Watchers program has been an excellent choice for
    me.  Once you get past the first three weeks, there's really nothing
    that you can't have in some quantity (as long as you can account for it
    either under daily exchanges or under weekly optional calories).  I've
    never really felt deprived or cheated on this plan, and haven't really
    had to "give up" things like eating out or foods I particularly enjoy.
    The big change has been in the *amount* I eat.  Do I still eat five out
    of eight pieces of a large pizza? No way Jose!  But, I haven't had to
    give it up entirely, just eat a more reasonable and healthful amount.
    (BTW, for those who are reading this and saying, "I didn't know that
    you could eat pizza on WW", one slice of a large pizza equals 1-1/2
    bread exchanges, 1 protien exchange, and a fraction of a vegetable
    exchange.)  The plan seems to be not only a very good method of
    losing weight, but a reasonable guideline for eating 
    a balanced diet even if you're not on a weightloss program.

Well I chose the High-Fibre/Low-Fat diet that Dr. Andrew Stanway promotes
in his book _The High-Fibre Diet Book_

For years I looked for the way of eating that would work best for me.. I
bounced between the WW way of doing things and the Pritican Plan (a NO
fat, NO sugar way of eating).  

I like this one the best and have been practising it now for almost 
a full year.

This diet does not preach dieting perse'.  It teaching a whole food 
philosophy that encourages you to eat lots of the right things in almost
unlimited amounts and steer clear of the wrong things.  You more or less
re-educate your thoughts on food and how they work with your body.  The
whole idea being that whole grains, fruits, veggies, dried beans, peas,
seeds, lean meats and cereals should constitute the basis of a sound way
of eating.  

Now our whole family eats this way.  We have two daughters that don't even
think about the fact that they get lots of leafy green veggies, smaller
portions of leaner meats and fresh fruits or an occasional whole meal cake
for desserts.  We all drink low-fat or skimmed milk, eat cheeses and other
dairy products in smaller portions and limit our intake of fat.  This does
not mean we do not have an occasional breakfast of scrambled eggs and a 
slice or two of bacon... but we do have some fresh fruit and whole grain
muffins or bread with it!  I do almost all my baking with wholemeal flour
now and about half the sugar I used to use and we barely notice the 
difference.  In fact now we prefer it as we have found out when we have
some of the same things in their more familiar refined state and they taste
bland and sugary by comparison.

I admit this diet is not for everyone...  More than a diet it is simply
a way of life and a new way of looking at the foods you eat.   The golden
rule is never to preach but to show by example.  If you serve your family
or your guests a whole food meal that is colorful and appetizing and they
just enjoy it rather than notice you are pumping them full of health foods
than you have succeeded in your mission.

The basic plan is so simple:

1.  Cut down and when possible avoid white flour and its products.  Replace
    them with wholegrain flour and its products.

2.  Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, whole grain products, nuts and seeds.

3.  Eat as little sugar as possible.

4.  Reduce the amount of fat you eat.

5.  Eat as few synthetic foods as possible

6.  Drink alcohol in moderation.

7.  Add bran to your diet if necessary.


This basic plan will keep you slim with little to no difficulty.. If
you are facing a drastic weight loss than the basic plan with a little
cutting here and there works really well for a slimming plan.

In the end it is all the same.  We pick the plan we can live with and 
gives us the most satisfaction!

gailann

    I have been combining weight watcher's techniques with
    a low-fat/high-fiber diet similar to what was described in
    .3. 'Jane Brody's Good Food Book' has lots of recipes (though
    no calorie counts or nutritional breakdowns) as does the Eat
    to Succeed and Eat to Win Books. One of these days I'll type
    in the recipe for Pumpkin-Apple bread from Eat to Succeed, 90
    calories/slice with .4grams of fat and no cholesterol!
    
    I find that by keeping the fat intake VERY low, I can eat much
    more in the way of carbohydrates -- so I'm never hungry.
    
    

    
    
    I picked Weight Watchers at work because it is alot of support
    and it teaches a person to learn how to eat for everyday and you
    don't have to give up the foods you love but learn how to really
    fit them in and lose weight also.  
    At this time I need the support and it sure has helped me so far.
    I like the program very much and the leaders are nice too......
    
    
    I was going to Diet Workshop it was nice but I think it's fun to
    be with the people you work with and you get to see everyone in
    a different way.. You get to know each other better.
    We look out for one another.. It is a wonderful class...
    
    You have to go where you feel you get the most out of it..
    
    Good Luck to All,
    
    
    Ann 
    
    
    
    
    

    I have a long career of weightloss and weight gain and I feel I
    am at the point that I have to count calories.  I am combining a
    log of what I have learned and read in my current diet plan.  
    
    I use a form of self-hypnosis in that I focus on my diet daily.
    I read this conference, read articles about food, nutrition and
    diet.  All these activities support my subconscious desire to 
    eat properly.
    
    I record every mouthful of food I eat.  I weigh and calculate calories.
    I weigh myself daily.  What I am doing is studying my bodies reaction
    to food and at the same time I am developing a better understanding
    of caloric content and portion sizes.
    
    I have found that I am pretty typical.  I loose a pound about every
    three days.  I resolved to diet until February 29th...what I will
    do after that is increase my caloric count by 100 per day for a
    week.  So the first week in March I will eat 1300 calories a day,
    the second week 1400 a day.  At some point I will stop loosing and
    start gaining.  By doing that I will better understand how many
    calories I need to maintain my weight.
    
    I would not suggest that you count calories without an understanding
    of nutrition or with an idea that you can have a 500 calorie sundae
    instead of lunch.  Part of any diet is feeling good and having energy
    to cope with the restrictions.  
    
    I use LeGette's Calorie Encyclopedia.  It even has fast foods and
    restaurant items.

    Gailanne, what is the product name of the whole grain flour you
    use?