Always, always check with your doctor before beginning a new diet. Diet plans work best when combined with exercise. Always check with your doctor before you start an exercise program. I am not a certified nutritionist.
Having dispensed with my disclaimers, I want to share with you something I have been doing with surprisingly good results. In the past, when trying to lose weight, I would fast for two meals, usually breakfast and lunch, then eat a reasonable supper that included all the major food groups for balance in nutrition. It did help me lose the weight I wanted to lose, but it was not good for my stomach, which stayed hungry from the time I got up until I had supper. Drinking water in place of food was only minimally effective. Fasting has a place, but I believe it should be reserved for times of intense spiritual cleansing and petition.
One day two weeks ago, I spied some snack boxes of raisins while I was buying groceries. I thought, "I could have one for breakfast with a lot of water (16-20 ounces), one for lunch with a lot of water, and then eat a balanced supper. It will save money and I might even lose some of this spare tire I've acquired over the last 4 years." I did NOT expect the small box of raisins to fill me up, but I was hoping to at least put enough in my stomach to keep it from hurting itself. No one needs an ulcer. Or cancer. But when I discovered I was satisfied with the small snack box and water, I looked it up online. Apparently, raisins raise the level of leptin in your system, helping to naturally curb the appetite. That doesn't mean I'm stuffed and wouldn't be able to eat a twinkie or a hot dog, but the hunger is simply not there. That's where willpower comes in. I simply have to remind myself to wait until supper, then i can have my twinkie--after I have my nutritiously balanced meal. I have already had the whole day's serving of fruit, so I focus on vegetables, protein (meat), and whole grains. The total amount of calories coming from the raisins is 260. They provide some Protein (2 grams), Dietary Fiber (4 grams), vitamin C (4% DV), Calcium (4% DV), Potassium (18% DV), and Iron (8% DV). They have no fat or cholesterol. They provide 25 grams of sugars per box, so if a person has diabetes, they would want to check with the doctor to see if that is the kind that will be absorbed into thier bloodstream too quickly. I know it is not as bad for someone with diabetes as syrup on their pancakes. That all hits the bloodstream at once because it is broken down so quickly.
So far, I have lost 5 pounds in two weeks. I am not exercising yet, but I keep meaning to. Besides weight control, exercise is good for overall cardiovascular health. I am not recommending this diet to anyone. I simply wanted to share with you what I have been doing and how it is working for me. I tried just cutting back at meals, but I couldn't manage to control my appetite or calorie intake enough to lose the first pound. I am very excited about comortably losing 5 pounds in two weeks!
Having dispensed with my disclaimers, I want to share with you something I have been doing with surprisingly good results. In the past, when trying to lose weight, I would fast for two meals, usually breakfast and lunch, then eat a reasonable supper that included all the major food groups for balance in nutrition. It did help me lose the weight I wanted to lose, but it was not good for my stomach, which stayed hungry from the time I got up until I had supper. Drinking water in place of food was only minimally effective. Fasting has a place, but I believe it should be reserved for times of intense spiritual cleansing and petition.
One day two weeks ago, I spied some snack boxes of raisins while I was buying groceries. I thought, "I could have one for breakfast with a lot of water (16-20 ounces), one for lunch with a lot of water, and then eat a balanced supper. It will save money and I might even lose some of this spare tire I've acquired over the last 4 years." I did NOT expect the small box of raisins to fill me up, but I was hoping to at least put enough in my stomach to keep it from hurting itself. No one needs an ulcer. Or cancer. But when I discovered I was satisfied with the small snack box and water, I looked it up online. Apparently, raisins raise the level of leptin in your system, helping to naturally curb the appetite. That doesn't mean I'm stuffed and wouldn't be able to eat a twinkie or a hot dog, but the hunger is simply not there. That's where willpower comes in. I simply have to remind myself to wait until supper, then i can have my twinkie--after I have my nutritiously balanced meal. I have already had the whole day's serving of fruit, so I focus on vegetables, protein (meat), and whole grains. The total amount of calories coming from the raisins is 260. They provide some Protein (2 grams), Dietary Fiber (4 grams), vitamin C (4% DV), Calcium (4% DV), Potassium (18% DV), and Iron (8% DV). They have no fat or cholesterol. They provide 25 grams of sugars per box, so if a person has diabetes, they would want to check with the doctor to see if that is the kind that will be absorbed into thier bloodstream too quickly. I know it is not as bad for someone with diabetes as syrup on their pancakes. That all hits the bloodstream at once because it is broken down so quickly.
So far, I have lost 5 pounds in two weeks. I am not exercising yet, but I keep meaning to. Besides weight control, exercise is good for overall cardiovascular health. I am not recommending this diet to anyone. I simply wanted to share with you what I have been doing and how it is working for me. I tried just cutting back at meals, but I couldn't manage to control my appetite or calorie intake enough to lose the first pound. I am very excited about comortably losing 5 pounds in two weeks!