WHICH DIET WILL WORK FOR ME?

There are hundreds of diet programs available now and more than 2 dozen different weight loss pills on the market. You all know the most popular and most expensive ones, they are Jenny Craig and NutriSystem. They are also the lazy man's plan. You just pay and eat. No counting calories or carbs or anything, the only problem is after you stop buying their food it is hard to know just what you can eat on your own. Then we have Weight Watcher's at about $10.00 a meeting and somewhat cheaper you can find TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibility). I have tried tops and I liked it. It was very low keyed, no judgements, and lots of encouragement.There is also Gastric By Pass Surgery which starts at $50,000 and then Lap Band Surgery, starting at about $25,000. Both of these methods are considered last resort and don't change your eating habits or life style it just makes it possible to eat less. There are also the strange fad diets too, such as the cabbage soup diet, fruit diet, eat every thing in sight for 4 days and then fast for 3 days diet and the list goes on.
I thought I would share 3 diets that I have heard about from friends that seem to work for them.
1) The Blood Type Diet, which requires you to know which blood type you are, which is something we all should know anyway. No I don't know what type I am but I am going to call the doctor's office this morning and find out. The book that explaines this diet is called: "Eat Right For Your Type", by Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo. Dr. D'Amado through his studies believes that each blood type requires certain foods for a healthier life.
2) WOE...Way of Eating. One of the books for this program is called: "Eat, Cheat, and Melt the Fat Away", by Suzanne Sommers, Yes the blonde form 3's Company. Since she had cancer she has studied and researched and developed, not on her own, a program for a healthier lifestyle and weight loss. She is quickly becoming a "Diet Deva". Suzanne now has about 5 books on the market and they are part diet and part cookbook.
I know a lady who is using a combination of diets 1 and 2 and loves it.
3) "The Ultimate Weight Solution: 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom". by Dr. Phil McGraw. This is the program along with my doctor's 1500 calories a day plan, which is simply to tell me to lose weight that I hve chose to follow. I need more help than that so I am doing it Dr. Phil's way. I used his plan last year and lost 40 pounds but then winter came and with that snow and with that personal house confinement and I put all the weight back on. With me once I stop a diet I don't start again.
I like Dr. Phil's down home talk and his honesty. Dr. Phil has a second book or companion book that gives me the calorie count and all the nutritional information I need for the foods I eat.
I will probably post tidbits throughout the blog that I have learned from him.

YVONNE'S STORY

WOW!!! Joleane is right. These pictures are more than a little embarrassing. I NEVER, NEVER have my picture taken and now I know why, if I didn't before. I am Yvonne and I am almost 60 years old. Because of high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, and GERD, I am now taking 12 pills every day. Think of the money we are spending on pills. When I went to the doctor on the 5th of December for a blood pressure check up and to get all my medications refilled for winter, he told me that my blood pressure just wasn't staying down. He then told me he wanted me to meet with a nutritionist and I needed to consider "lap band" surgery. I know I don't want that surgery so I have to lose the weight by myself. I was talking to Renee a few days later and she said she wanted to lose some weight too. I decided to start dieting that day. The first thing I did was cut out all fried foods, sodas, and sweets. Yes, I went cold turkey on that idea because I know myself well enough to know it would be the only way this diet would work.

With the help of family, friends, and the nutritionist I am now on a 1500 calorie a day diet with 5 small meals instead of 3 BIG meals and I do drink 10 cups of water every day. I figured if I could diet through the holidays I would be on my way. Since others are also dieting starting in January I am ahead. I have lost 25 pounds and am on my way. My goal weight is about 140 pounds which means I need to lose about 102 pounds. The doctor says 75 pounds more would make a hugh difference. Shoot, at my weight the first 25 pounds made a difference. Now that I have the blog up and going, thanks again Laurie, this will give me even more support.

How am I going to lose ALL THIS WEIGHT; I know it won't be easy but I also know I will do it.

I have 10 good reasons to do so, my grandchildren. I am watching what I eat very closely, I am walking, I am exercising and as soon as spring comes I am going back to the "Y" for water aerobics 3 times a week. So here is to a much skinner all of us in 2009!

JOLEANE'S STORY

For the sake of losing weight and getting in shape I'm willing to humiliate myself by putting myself out there, fatness, laziness, bad eating habits and all. My name is Joleane, I'm 34 years old and live in Corvallis. I'm the mother of 2 young children. So, before I had kids, I thought I was overweight. Then I got pregnant. I didn't lose much weight after the first baby was born, then I got pregnant again and gained more weight. I haven't lost that weight yet either and the 2nd baby is now 2 years old. Time to get in gear!

My goals are to lose 50ish pounds. I'm cool with 45-55 pounds. I also want to run a 5K, 10K, and half marathon this year. (There is a 5K in Eugene on Valentine's Day that I'm planning on running, then a 10K in May and half marathon in August or so).

My plan of action, so to speak, is basically to run my butt off, and stomach and hips and thighs...I also need to keep track of calories. I've tried each method individually and only get good results when I both exercise and watch what I eat. I'm going to train for the runs and I have a weight loss program for my PDA that will help me keep track of calories. I also need to do some weight bearing exercises for my upper body.

My weaknesses:

I have horrible eating habits, in that I don't eat fruits or vegetables and I do eat lots of carbs and fats. I also drink way to much soda, even if it is "diet".

I have young kids at home. Getting out with them is a big ol' hassle.

I really don't like to exercise. It's just not fun.

My strengths:

I have great support from my husband and family. And now I've got this support blog too.

I get to stay home with my kids, so you'd think I could find the time to plan healthy meals and go for a jog.

Here's to 2009!

BECKY'S STORY

Becky, age at start of diet 55 years old. Height: 5'2" (I like to say 5'3" just to have my weight to height ratio sound better) My before weight 162 pounds and my goal weight is 127 pounds. No I did not deliberately try to make the photos look that bad, that is just me. I'm trying to lose 35 pounds--would like to lose more, but I'm trying to be realistic.

I sprained my ankle and pulled a muscle in my calf a little over four years ago. Because I could not exercise, I put on 20 pounds in two months, and sent my blood pressure skyrocketing. I weigh the same now as I did in January of 2005, so it's going to be hard to lose since it's been around a while. And I wasn't happy with my weighed before I put on that 20 pounds.

I', not sure how I'm going to go about losing the weight but I have already picked out the rewards I'm going to give myself along the way.

LIISA'S STORY

Hi, my name is Liisa. I am 44 years old and live in Portland, Oregon. I have blonde
hair, hazel eyes and I'm 5'3". I like quiet walks on the beach, sitting by the fire, and romantic comedy's...WAIT...this isn't a dating blog is it?? It's our weight loss blog. Okay, skip the blonde hair, hazel eyes business...the most important part is, I weigh 178 pounds!! Stop Stop STOP...Enough laughing.
So, the question is, can I lose the weight I need in order to live a healthier life? The answer is YES, I am 100% sure I can lose weight. No problem, no big deal, no worries. The thing is, once I lose it, CAN I KEEP IT OFF??? That my dear sisters is the question of the day.
I have been slimmer a number of times in my 44 years. I however always gain the weight back. I've tried prescription weight loss pills (was really think after that); weight watchers; a brief stint of NutriSystem. I've also tried over the counter diet pills, no carb diets, low carb diets, and the list goes on and on. Do you all remember Herbalife?? The one thing this is usually missing when I diet is EXERCISE. That I think will be the key to this whole adventure for me.
So, here is my idea on how to do this, Eat, Breathe, Move; the key to a long healthy life. I will however have to eat more fruits and vegetables, exercise a minimum 4 times a week and continue to breathe when doing so. That is if I can...
The recommended weight for my height and frame is 121-135 pounds. WOW...I haven't seen 121 in probably...21 years. My goal weight is 135 which means I need to shed 43 pounds!!!
Can I do it? Yes of course. Will I keep it off...I sure the hell hope so. So here I am, on the road to slim ...AGAIN!

A LITTLE INFORMATION ON THE BLOG

It has been suggested that we have a theme each month and anyone who wants can contribute, tips, hints, tricks, etc. I like this idea and since it is January this month's theme is of course,
"GETTING STARTED". It is also suggested that a monthly weigh-in might be fun. Therefore,
the last Friday of each month, please send me an email and tell me how much weight you have lost during the month and maybe a note on how you lost it. On the next Monday I will give all the information on the blog and we can give each other a pat on the back for how well we are doing. A little encouragement goes a long way, especially when we are scattered all over the Northwest.

A WORD OF CAUTION

Ladies, PLEASE, if you are serious about losing weight this year, and I hope you are, and if you are wanting to lose more than 25 pounds, PLEASE, check with your doctor on what he/she would recommend as the best diet plan for you. I think this can be a fun and exciting year for all of us and wouldn't it be nice to all meet next fall a thinner and healthier family of women. We don't want anyone getting sick by dieting the wrong way. We are all different with different reasons for wanting to lose weight as well as different amounts so let's do this the smart way,
under a doctor's supervision, or at least with his/her approval on the diet you choose.