Hello Laurie,

I must say that both you and your gorgeous pooch look great. Well done !

Thank you

No doubt, simply amazing. Laurie, how did you do that and how long did it take you? Curious...I know you said you did the Medizone diet, what does that entail?

I so wish I could just stay more consistent with my eating patterns. Like I get to a certain weight and am soooo happy there and feeling really good, then I "reward" myself or celebrate because I am feeling so good. Then I go back up. I swear I have lost the same 10-15 pounds each year for the past five years. How do I break this cycle???

I can totally relate to this, Barb. I was/am the same way for a very long time when it came to my weight.
What I did differently this time was to decide. I had to decide to not reward myself with food and not allow the complacency to set in. Not allow myself to put my feet up and coast along. Eventhough I felt amazing, I still had work to do, and it is work!!

I like the moderate carb way. I am in. I weighed and have gained a little, need to get it off.

I feel comfortable here

Laurie, you look so good. congrats. Is your dog a Bichon. I have one named Sammy, he is 16 years old.

Laurie, I am eating mainly the way you are eating, I am including some nuts and olive oil, I eat some fruit, only some, lots of veggies and lean protien. You have lost a lot of weight and look great.

Hi Cactusrose/Barb -- I was fortunate in that it only took me 9 months to lose 120 pounds. The MediZone program is basically a low carb program of lean protein, low-glycemic vegetables and 1-2 servings of low-glycemic fruits. The "Medi" part of it is that it is supplemented with a prescription appetite suppressant (pendimetrazine), weekly vitamin-B injections, and Calcium Pyruvate (a metabolism booster/"fat burner"). Not sure if the vitamin B or Calcium Pyruvate actually did anything, but I wanted to follow the program to the letter, in order to assure its effectiveness. The "Zone" part is that, once we reach our goal weight, we transition to the Zone Diet for maintenance. However, the critical component for me was the weekly check-ins at the MediZone center. I need that "external accountability" in order to stay on track.

Thanks Shrl! My dog "Muffin" is a Shih-Poo (a Shih Tzu/Toy Poodle mix). She's turning 4 next month :-) .

Laurie

I tried low-carb including the adaptation phase but it never worked for me and I was always spacey, grumpy and with chronic low blood sugar.

So I increased my carbs till I felt better and this worked out to be around 120 grams a day. I was active and had only 3-4 pounds to lose, so my experience is different from overweight or obese people but I don't believe anymore low-carb has a special effect on weight loss. In my opinion it just controls appetite better and so less calories are introduce and neither Taubes nor anyone else have proven otherwise.

I did Atkins two years ago and lost pounds and INCHES. I was also using metformin and the new type two diabetic shot that eventually led to pancreatitis in some. I ended up in the hospital with paramedics for heart faulure and A-fib. I was there two weeks. I lost in the hospital too. I got to my lowest weight in many years.
Subsequently went to Mayo clinic for a change in meds and the endocrinologist gave a test and said I was[B] not diabetic nor pre diabetic. I had hypoglycemia for many years.
So I am struggling now to NOT GAIN and to continue to lose. I seem allergic to sugar and high carbs. Food makes me HUNGRY.I am happy to read your posts. A nutritionist told me years ago I would have to be very careful with fruit. Mayo dietician thought I was a FAT anorexic...and nuts.I thought she was nuts too. She gave me a diabetic Mayo diet. And was NO help.
Thanks for interesting and helpful shares.

Interesting you think you may be allergic to sugar. The blood sugar spikes and then the crashes to follow will definitely cause you to feel hungry. That is why I love low carb, it really curbs the appetite. I do carb cycle so I can still have fruit and maybe a piece of toast here and there. I just am very careful to eat plenty of protein to keep my blood sugar level and avoid the crashes. Seems to work for me. Best to you and keep us posted, okay?

I posted my story somewhere, but it did not show up here. G

Well, I'm trying to find a happy medium for myself. I lost all the weight from low calorie/low fat..lots of water..I plateued and then even gained back about 40 from my lowest weight. I tried low carb but it just wasn't working for me..the scale wasn't budging and i really really missed my milk. I try to take it easy on pasta and breads, but I do eat cereal for breakfast every now and then or a sandwich for lunch, have a pasta dish once every 2 weeks...Wish I could get these last 50 lbs off me If anyone has any advice, feel free to throw it on me, please!

Miss Jess,

I am essentially where you are, having lost a good deal of weight, and now at a standstill. I keep thinking to myself, I lost 35 pounds, how hard can it be to lose another 15? I think I am coming to the realization that if the weight is no longer an issue/priority in life, I will have to deal with other issues. Funny thing is, I am not even sure what those are...

At any rate, I continue to lose and gain the same 15 pounds every year for the past eight years. Don't know how to "get serious" about losing. I know that is no advice for you, but sometimes it is just nice to know that we are not alone. I guess I feel I am waiting for some revelation to come to me to be the magic that motivates me to my final goal weight and fitness level...

What will do the trick for us? Let's brainstorm and see what we come up with. I have a funny feeling a deep soul-searching is in order for me...

What is your workout regimen? I know a HUGE part of my failure is because I won't get my butt out and move more.I bought the zumba dvd's, however I never do them. I also am a member of anytime fitness and am just wasting money each month by never going. What I REALLY need is a workout buddy. Someone that will be up and waitin for me so that I'll feel some sort of obligation to be there. It's much too easy for me to just lay in bed and get that extra hour of sleep. I have a pretty hectic schedule with work and school full time and to be honest..when I'm done with that all I want to do is cook dinner and hang out on the couch. Ugh, wish I could just suck it up and GO! The reason I won't go to the gym is because there's always gorgeous men frolicking around with their shirts off and my chubby self is there rockin' the spandex yoga pants lol. I have no one to impress and it's not like they're paying my bills or anything, so I really have no reason to be so down on myself. I think a lot of it is mental..clearly. Lord willing, I'll pull out of thi soon and commit to a good workout routine and STICK TO IT!!!