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  #1   ^
Old Thu, Jul-22-04, 13:15
3xmommy's Avatar
3xmommy 3xmommy is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 175
 
Plan: southbeach
Stats: 190/190/135 Female 5'0
BF:not sure
Progress: 0%
Location: Maryland
Default Is anyone on the CURVES DIET...

I've been doing Atkins and can generally eat lower carb...but I miss my chocolate and sometimes milk and real cereal..Anyway...I was at CURVES today and they let me check out the book(lending library) on the Curves diet..I was able to sample the chocolate protein shake,your allowed 1 a day as a free carb anything after you count carbs..seems more reasonable..I know it;s so similar to Atkins and haven't read the book yet to see how it varies..
anyway,,if you have please share...
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  #2   ^
Old Thu, Jul-22-04, 15:03
nepeta's Avatar
nepeta nepeta is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 620
 
Plan: carb/cal cycling
Stats: 176/136/125 Female 5'1"
BF:
Progress: 78%
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I did the curves diet back in february, but am not on it now. I didn't do the shakes though cause I'm allergic to soy and dairy. I heard they were good.
I'm not sure what I thought of the diet overall, i did lose about 14lbs though.
My diet class was fun & I felt a lot of support from the ladies. My mom did the diet too, but in another town & she said it wasn't too helpful, most of the women dropped out or something. So I guess it depends on where you are & if you have a good facilitator.

I'm a big staller, and the diet also wants you to stop if you stall for a week. Not sure if I agree with this? Also at the time 6 small meals a day seemed okay, lately though, I feel sick if I snack that much.

If you want to do the diet just to get the chocolate, I'm sure you can find low carb chocolate ideas in the recipes section, so you could probably just stick to atkins if you wanted.

You are right it is alot like atkins, but with curves induction I think you can have small servings of strawberries and blueberries, where atkins wants you to omit fruit.
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  #3   ^
Old Thu, Jul-22-04, 17:11
3xmommy's Avatar
3xmommy 3xmommy is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 175
 
Plan: southbeach
Stats: 190/190/135 Female 5'0
BF:not sure
Progress: 0%
Location: Maryland
Default

Yea..They were saying something about a weekly mtg..Do they charge extra for that..? I was talking to someone else about it and said I could get the protein shake cheaper at the store..though I wouldn't know what ingredients it's supposed to have..but i;ll look.. I guess right now I just feel like a blob and nothing I do helps me to get closer to my goal weight..

Thanks for responding..gives me hope..

Michelle
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  #4   ^
Old Mon, Aug-09-04, 15:15
CurvesSpaz's Avatar
CurvesSpaz CurvesSpaz is offline
New Member
Posts: 41
 
Plan: Curves
Stats: 267/181/175 Female 5'9"
BF:44.5/27.3/24
Progress: 93%
Arrow Finding your Milk and Chocolate

Been going to Curves for 8 months, and since starting the diet 3 months ago - have lost 45 pounds. There are no extra costs associated with any diet classes Curves may host, like their 6 week challenge. You pay the $$ a month to go as many times to as many things that club offers.

About the shakes. The Curves brand shakes are indeed tasty - however, they are a tad on the pricey side. The specifications for a suitable substiute protein powder given in the book are as follows: make sure that per serving, the mix has fewer than 8 carbs, and there are at LEAST 20 grams of protein per serving. This is because your average glass of milk (8oz) has 12 carbs. 12+8=20 "cancels" out the the protein and makes it a free food. As long as you are taking vitamins or a multivitamin like Carbsmart - the difference between a shake and a pill or just a Curves shake - is negligable.

I know that sounds bogus - free foods. But it is truly effective. There is a free foods list available at the curves international website. It is all veggies - which keeps things low to start out - and since they are all full of fiber, they are good picks to start out. The only free thing that isn't a veggie is the shake. However - from personal experience, the protein shake is NOT a free food if you do not excercise. Of course Heavin recommends his Curves workout 3x a week. Even if it is something else entirely, the excercise itself is essential. Particularly resistance training. The Protein shake helps build up muscle tone along with the workouts. Without the resistance training - all the amino acids and low carbing in the wold will just stall you on the shakes.

If you want milk - try Hood Carb Countdown. It is Atkins approved and has only 3 net carbs per 8 oz serving. They replace the lactose with Splenda. It tastes different - but since it is REAL milk - it is definately closer to a moo cow flavor than soy or any other substitute. After drinking it a week or two - I wouldn't be able to tell it apart from regular milk unless you gave me a glass right next to it. The best part for your chocolate needs is - it comes in chocolate flavored! SKim, 2%, whole and chocolate, and its been out long enough, most Kroger/Dillons etc, and WalMart supercenters have it.

Phase 1 (induction) of Curves is almost exactly like Atkins - and indeed it does NOT include fruit. Phase 2 (similar to OWL) does however reinstate berries into the diet.

For cereal - there are the atkins variety which are nice and low - but if you can afford 9 carbs for breakfast look at the new types coming out. There is a version of Total and also two Carbwell cereals that look like cheerios to me. I haven't tried them yet - but they are also widely available at most regular grocery stores.

For a real chocolate taste - Ross chocolates are unbeatable. they are 1oz portion little buggers so you don't get carried away. They sacrifice a couple of carbs against your total in the name of amazing flavor! The bars run between 2-3 carbs a piece and come in 10 different flavors - including a smashingly good white chocolate! Do a google search for Ross chocolates and check out their website. They are decently priced and well worth it. You might check out a well stocked WalMart Supercenter as well - I found 4 varieties at mine - if you want to test the waters before making the plunge. I also noticed no adverse gastric affects, tho that may be personal.

There are two principle differences between Atkins and Curves that must be mentioned. (1) Curves is not a forever diet. When you reach your goal weight and enter phase 3, maintenance, you diet only as needed (this apparently is about once a month once your metabolism has adjusted). This appeals to me because no on wants to diet forever. Atkins may be a way of life, that I do not deny. The cost is difficult at times for low carbing however, and I feel that it is more important to remember and learn the nutrition lessons of low carbing as I reenter the real world of food (high fiber, low/no sugar, healthy veggies, plenty of protein, etc). In this way - if you eat sensibly for the most part, when your weight does respond, you know how to drop back into Phase 1 for a day or two, instead of spending the rest of your life counting carbs. I love low carbing, what it does and how healthy it is. At the same time - I would prefer to be a good student and take the lessons I've learned and see them put to practice. So - while Low Carbing can be a WOL, in Curves, it does not have to be. you can have your life back!

(2) The primary factor to remember while doing curves is: Atkins, Protein Power, etc, counts NET carbs. Curves, however, counts TOTAL carbs. Either way will effectively work. 20 net or 50 total is going to come out about the same if you are eating high fiber, healthy carb foods for the total. Do not look at the Curves diet plan and think that eating 40-60 net carbs will effect weight loss. I did. It messed me up for nearly a month before I discovered the problem. In general 40 - 60 total effected 25-35 net.

You can follow the premise of Curves permenantly - but tha isn't the idea. You can do Curves using Net carbs, only if you acknowledge the aforementioned cutback in number.

I love having my shake every day, my Hood milk, and my free foods with a free food salad. Its just like cheating - but it isn't!

Hope this is helpful to you!
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  #5   ^
Old Wed, Sep-08-04, 12:15
EsMarlow EsMarlow is offline
New Member
Posts: 1
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 182/176/155 Female 5'8"
BF:
Progress:
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I realize this is an older thread, but was just checking out info on the Curves diet which I am excited about starting next week. My understanding, and I have the book in front of me, is that a small amount of fruit IS allowed on Phase 1 of this plan if you are following the carb intolerance plan. (More fruit is allowed if you are following the calorie sensitive plan.) It's a very small amount--1/2 c. strawberries on Mon., 1/2 cantaloupe on Tues., etc. So, according to the Curves Members Guide, it does differ from Atkins in that you can have limited fruit in the first two weeks of the plan. I just wanted to clarify that.
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  #6   ^
Old Mon, Sep-13-04, 12:33
Glendora's Avatar
Glendora Glendora is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 3,849
 
Plan: 30 g carbs/day
Stats: 220/180/150 Female 61 inches
BF:
Progress: 57%
Default

I'm doing Curves low-carb and I LOVE it. (There's also a Curves calorie-resistant version for people who fall into that category.) I am on Day 5 of Phase I. I like the idea of "re-learning" good nutrition and taking it into the "real world" of tests and tribulations in the form of birthday cakes, special celebrations and all that. I honestly feel better without refined starches and I know I could do this for life, but as the PPs said, you don't have to eliminate "bad" foods on this diet once you get to the maintenance part of it. And yes, you can eat chocolate. You can even eat it in Phase I if you're careful (though it might be a bad idea since you're trying to kick cravings during this stage). For instance, a peanut butter cup only has 6 carbs total. That's not a habit...it's a "just in case" for those PMS-y, I've-got-to-have-it days. I have some in my freezer & haven't touched them yet.

And yes, you can do fruits if you just love fruits and if they're the right ones (melons, for example, and some berries).

I love this diet so far...and Curves makes no bones about it, this part IS a diet. The idea is, as the PP two posts back said (great post, btw!), is to get to the stage where you truly *don't* have to count anything the majority of the time. But...as both Curves posters said...you really should, by that time, have taught yourself to basically eat healthfully anyway.

GL...give it a shot...what do you have to lose? (Pounds, hopefully! )

ETA: I don't belong to Curves. I do happen to have an exercise tube at home (which the at-home Curves workout requires) so that comes in handy. Here's generally what I do:

One day of: My Exertube video or some other video if I'm getting bored with Exertube...but I make sure it has at least some form of weight resistance on it, because the point is to keep muscle.

The next day: A 30 minute walk on my lunch hour...that's a minimal must. In addition (or instead of) that, on this day I take my son for a walk in his backpack. He weighs 25 lbs. and the backpack weighs 6 lbs. so that's 31 lbs. on my back. I know it's resistance/weight-bearing because I feel the muscular post-workout pains I would normally feel after that type of workout (especially in my lower back, my obliques, my thighs (yay) & my shoulders.

Last edited by Glendora : Mon, Sep-13-04 at 12:47. Reason: exercise info
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  #7   ^
Old Mon, Sep-13-04, 13:10
vbrowne's Avatar
vbrowne vbrowne is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 2,721
 
Plan: Atkins / Curves
Stats: 182.0/182.0/150 Female 5'6"
BF:27.2
Progress: 0%
Location: Toronto, Canada
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I'm doing the Curves diet too - on my own. I go to class 3x per week and pay monthly for that - the diet class is $69.00 which I don't feel I need if I have the book. I'm happy with the diet and feel great too. I love the chocolate shakes, but I agree, a tad pricey.

Vikki
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  #8   ^
Old Tue, Sep-14-04, 05:04
suntanlove's Avatar
suntanlove suntanlove is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 181
 
Plan: aitkens
Stats: 216/177/150 Female 5feet5inches
BF:
Progress: 59%
Location: canada
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I have been on Aitkens for about 1 and half years.The last 6 months or so I have been going up and down the same 5 pounds or so.I started Curves Diet last night and today is the first day i am on it.It is similar to A. but what I like about it is that it is not for life.You learn life strategies and how to eat healthy for the rest of your life.I really like that idea.Hopefully i can get a jumpt start on the metabolism.I have been going to Curves exercises for about 2 years.I love the ladies there and the support.
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  #9   ^
Old Tue, Sep-14-04, 08:45
Amzippity Amzippity is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 243
 
Plan: Curves eating plan
Stats: 186/152/140 Female 5'8'
BF:
Progress: 74%
Location: NH
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I've been on Curves for 5 months now and I really like how it works. I love the larger amount of veggies allowed. I love that you can't be on Phase 1 for more than 2 weeks. (I think it's aweful when people stay on induction for 6 months!!!)

I also like the maintanence. For me, I'm going to try to eat a LC WOL for the most part, but am I never going to have a Sam Adams again? Am I never going to have a piece of my child's birthday cake? Am I never going to make a homemade pizza with real crust?
I think the maintanence program is good for staying on this way of eating. The hard part, however, will be not reverting to old habits.

In a few weeks, I'm going to start the metabolic boost. My weight has stayed the same for the past 3 weeks. I tried lowering calories (how I hate that!) but nothing has happened. So, in a few weeks, when some life-things have passed, I'll try the metabolic boost and hopefully start losing again!
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  #10   ^
Old Wed, Sep-22-04, 20:33
Glendora's Avatar
Glendora Glendora is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 3,849
 
Plan: 30 g carbs/day
Stats: 220/180/150 Female 61 inches
BF:
Progress: 57%
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Hey Am, just curious, did you start the metabolic boost yet?

I am on Day 14 of Phase I. Tomorrow I up my carbs a little. I know it says 40-60, but I think I'd better start on the lower end of that and see, week by week, if I can or should add a little more. So I think I'll actually start with 30 pluls the carbs in free-foods. Here I go...on to Phase II !
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  #11   ^
Old Wed, Sep-22-04, 21:43
laffn's Avatar
laffn laffn is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 407
 
Plan: Low Carb/Low Calish
Stats: 190/140.5/145 Female 5'7"
BF:30%/24.7%/22%
Progress: 110%
Location: WY
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I did the Curves low carb. I probably lost a pound or two during the challenge. The shakes were awesome, but it caused really bad cravings in me. I just don't think I can handle all the carbs at once in the shake. I even used carb countdown milk. After the challenge, I went back to atkins and lost a little more.

Anyway, I think I am just the type of person that needs to restrict their carbs.

Laura
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  #12   ^
Old Wed, Sep-22-04, 21:44
laffn's Avatar
laffn laffn is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 407
 
Plan: Low Carb/Low Calish
Stats: 190/140.5/145 Female 5'7"
BF:30%/24.7%/22%
Progress: 110%
Location: WY
Default

I am sorry, but it wasn't a 30 day challenge. It was more like a 6 week challenge thing.

lol

Sorry

Laura
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  #13   ^
Old Thu, Sep-23-04, 08:32
Amzippity Amzippity is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 243
 
Plan: Curves eating plan
Stats: 186/152/140 Female 5'8'
BF:
Progress: 74%
Location: NH
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Glendora
Hey Am, just curious, did you start the metabolic boost yet?

I am on Day 14 of Phase I. Tomorrow I up my carbs a little. I know it says 40-60, but I think I'd better start on the lower end of that and see, week by week, if I can or should add a little more. So I think I'll actually start with 30 pluls the carbs in free-foods. Here I go...on to Phase II !


I'm on Day 5 of the Metabolic Boost. So far, I've gained 2 pounds. I probably wouldnt have gained that much, but yesterday was my birthday and I decided long ago that I would indulge in chinese food and a scorpian bowl! So it wasnt until this morning that I saw any change in my weight. I'm going to stay on the "Up" part until I get to 4 pounds gained. I'm going out to dinner tonight, my hubby's bday party is tomorrow, and we have a wedding reception/party on saturday, so I really hope this lasts through Saturday. I only wanted my "high" weight to be 3 pounds up, but if I'm going to adjust accordingly depending on how the rest of the week goes. If I gain a lot over the next couple days, I'll just suck it up and go back down to phase 1 during the parties.

I'm posting more details of this in my journal, so feel free to visit there and post any questions you may have.

Good luck with phase 2!!! It's much easier than Phase 1 once you get used to it.
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  #14   ^
Old Thu, Sep-23-04, 15:28
suntanlove's Avatar
suntanlove suntanlove is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 181
 
Plan: aitkens
Stats: 216/177/150 Female 5feet5inches
BF:
Progress: 59%
Location: canada
Default

I am on the second week of phase i as i have 30 pounds to lose.Last week I lost 4 pounds.I have stayed on plan this week but I have tentenitis and am on Celebrex and I think that it is interfering with my wight loss.I am drinking lots of water and sticking to 20 carbs or less like in the book.I hope this week turns out to be a loss but if not i know it will be due to the meds.I can't wait to up my carbs next week.Good luck all
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  #15   ^
Old Wed, Sep-29-04, 07:15
Glendora's Avatar
Glendora Glendora is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 3,849
 
Plan: 30 g carbs/day
Stats: 220/180/150 Female 61 inches
BF:
Progress: 57%
Default

Well, how are all you girls doing?

Suntanlove, YES, Celebrex can show a "gain" because it causes water retention...I think. I mean I'm not a doctor but I was put on something similar to Celebrex after I had my son & broke my pelvis giving birth to him (yeeeowch) and that was one of the side effects mentioned.

Laura (laffin), right there with you, girlfriend. The shake made me crave like anything. I need just a few carbs at a time, too. Too many at once and I want to overeat & then lie down and go to sleep. (Not exactly the keys to good weight loss...!)

Amzippety! How's that boost going? Did you go up another pound before restricting again? I think the book said about 3 lbs., right? How do you feel now?
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