Vitamix users, or similar product users and juicers - HELP!

[nadra24]

YEP. 

I believe the number of calories definitely matters.  It's not like I think I can eat 3000 calories of lean meat, nuts, fruit & veggies and not gain weight.  It's that I think I have a bit more leeway on the actual number of calories I eat to maintain/lose when I eat foods like that.  Except nuts.  I can't NOT overeat salty nuts.   

Well, 3000 calories of lean meat, fruit, and veggies is a LOT of food! I really think that's the main reason that stuff like Atkins works, is because even if you're eating higher fat stuff like cheese and fattier meats, it's kind of tough to overeat calories if you're not eating grains and sugary foods.

And I missed out on saying it before, 450 calories is not that much for breakfast unless you're on a 1200 calorie diet.

[Courtney]

Well, 3000 calories of lean meat, fruit, and veggies is a LOT of food! I really think that's the main reason that stuff like Atkins works, is because even if you're eating higher fat stuff like cheese and fattier meats, it's kind of tough to overeat calories if you're not eating grains and sugary foods.

And I missed out on saying it before, 450 calories is not that much for breakfast unless you're on a 1200 calorie diet.

And a 1200 calorie diet is REALLY LOW.  My RD friend says women should never go below 1500.  What do you think, Nadra? 

MM, I have kind of the same mindset about veggies.  DH and I were just talking about this last night, how we need to get back on the WW bandwagon.  It's nice to feel like something is "free"...  I know that, for me, I get really fucking tired of counting shit (calories, points, etc) so it's kind of nice to think of something as free.  Maybe I'll join again.  I'm always so torn.  I feel like WW encourages me to eat more whole foods, because they are less points, but it also tends to deter me from meat, but without that, I get little protein.  So I'm not sure how to proceed. 

[diablita]

I was thinking of going back to WW too, Courtney.  It always works best for me.  Maybe we can start it together?

[merigayle]

Courtney-- greek yogurt or cottage cheese are REALLY high in protein if you eat dairy.

[Courtney]

I was thinking of going back to WW too, Courtney.  It always works best for me.  Maybe we can start it together?

I like that idea  

Meri, I do dairy, so those are both options for me.  I'm not giving up meat, by any stretch, but meatless meals are fine with me, especially lunch & breakfast.  Dinner will probably need meat, because my DH thinks that is a requirement.   

I really love that I can fit little treats or occassional splurges into WW.  Too much restriction ALWAYS brings on binge eating for me.  Without exception.  So WW is pretty much a sane way to do it. 

[nadra24]

And a 1200 calorie diet is REALLY LOW.  My RD friend says women should never go below 1500.  What do you think, Nadra? 

MM, I have kind of the same mindset about veggies.  DH and I were just talking about this last night, how we need to get back on the WW bandwagon.  It's nice to feel like something is "free"...  I know that, for me, I get really fucking tired of counting shit (calories, points, etc) so it's kind of nice to think of something as free.  Maybe I'll join again.  I'm always so torn.  I feel like WW encourages me to eat more whole foods, because they are less points, but it also tends to deter me from meat, but without that, I get little protein.  So I'm not sure how to proceed. 

I have always heard not to go below 1200 cals, but you have to be really mindful of what you're eating to make sure you're getting enough protein and stuff.  1500 is more reasonable, unless someone is very short or very sedentary.  (Also if you're really short, your protein requirements are lower)

[RioG]

I can not imagine eating 1200 calories/day.  I would die.  Or be in a perpetual faint.  1500 I can do, but it has to be the right foods or it's not sustainable.  I'm neither tall nor sedentary, though. 

[Magic Microbe]

1200-1400 calories is what I have to eat in order to lose or to maintain a proper bmi. Which is why I am fat right now.

[Courtney]

TBH, I think most of us have fucked up our bodies and metabolisms by losing serious amounts of weight.  I mean, it's great, but in that process we almost 100% lost lots of muscle, which lowers the number of calories needed to maintain your weight.  Lifting big heavy weights is hopefully helping me fix that.  I have gained weight, yet my clothes are still pretty much the same size as they were a year ago. 

That said, a diet overhaul will be what is needed to see the results of lifting those heavy weights.  I just rejoined WW.   

[Run Amok]

I know I advocate 1200 calories as what it took for me to lose weight. I should clarify that the diet I followed suggests this calorie level if your starting weight is between 120 and 160lbs. If you are between 160 and 200 lbs she suggests 1600 calories and if you're over 200lbs; I think it's 1800. This is also a diet only program, so excercise would add additional calories.

Also, rio, with your bf'ing... I would think you would need quite a few more calories than that, regardless.

[onawhim]

It really depends.  1200 for me is not crazy low I do not think but I am pretty petite. 

[Courtney]

I don't know that I've ever weighed below 160 in my adult (or even young adult) life. 

[RioG]

I know I advocate 1200 calories as what it took for me to lose weight. I should clarify that the diet I followed suggests this calorie level if your starting weight is between 120 and 160lbs. If you are between 160 and 200 lbs she suggests 1600 calories and if you're over 200lbs; I think it's 1800. This is also a diet only program, so excercise would add additional calories.

Also, rio, with your bf'ing... I would think you would need quite a few more calories than that, regardless.

yeah,  it will be intetesting to see what 1500 cal is like when I'm done.  Hopefully better because that puts me at 1.5 lbs lost per week in theory.

[Run Amok]

I also thought 1200 calories seemed like it was going to be nowhere near enough food. When I first read the meal plans I thought it was a laughably small amount of food. But, what I found was that it was actually plenty. All I can say is that I wasn't hungry, light headed, etc. I'm not someone who does well hungry- that is a recipe for me to end up at the bottom of an ice cream cone. I also don't do well with programs that don't allow me to eat food I enjoy. So, I was really pleasently surprised by this. But, it's clearly not for everyone and I did find that I really struggled when I was needing to eat differently to fuel running and other excercise.

All I can say is that if I didn't cut somewhere (i.e. pratice a little austerity) I wasn't going to lose the weight...period. I decided to trust that this person (who is a phd and dedicates her life to nutrition research- not just some yahoo who wrote a diet book) wasn't developing a plan to damage my metabolism. All I can tell you is that I lost weight and didn't suffer while doing it- which is what I hope for anyone who is looking to lose weight- whatever plan they decide to follow.

I found that her plan was a lot like the way I found msyelf eating on WW, but it took all the guesswork out of it for me. I also found myself hoarding poins on WW and didn't really have that problem here. At that point in my life, excercising was difficult to fit in- so a diet plan that was food only worked well for me. I also found that I had a little more time to play with cooking and packing up food. Which, right now, is a little more of a struggle.

The author (she runs a nutrition reasearch lab at tufts) has found that this particular plan is the most efficient/long lasting path to weight loss that she's seen in her lab. But, she also says that even if you just incorperate some of the principles into your eating habits, you can lose that way too. That is what has helped me to keep the weight off, I think, is just incorperating the way of eating into my every day life and definitely feel like I'm in more control.

But... you gotta do what works for you. I picked this plan because I could never get my cravings under control and this helped me figure out strategies to resolve that.

[diablita]

I just registered for WW again.  I think a combo of the i-Diet principals and some of the recipes + WW point tracking works really well for me.

[Courtney]

I just registered for WW again.  I think a combo of the i-Diet principals and some of the recipes + WW point tracking works really well for me.

*highfive*

I ate a super lunch.  Very WW friendly, filling, and full of veggies!  Woop!

[all-smiles]

Y'all are making it tempting to go back to WW but I found myself eating very little protein due to the points. And for me, with PCOS and insulin resistance, high protein and lower carbs is super important to losing weight :/

[Magic Microbe]

I feel like the newer WW program emphasizes protein a lot more as a good healthy choice (ie it isnt as much of a points hit as it used to be) but the newer program is also pretty low carb (carbs are very points heavy).

[RioG]

I feel like the newer WW program emphasizes protein a lot more as a good healthy choice (ie it isnt as much of a points hit as it used to be) but the newer program is also pretty low carb (carbs are very points heavy).

see, this is why I'm so leery of commercial diet programs.  It seems they just change to accommodate whatever is kind of the fad diet of the moment. 

[diablita]

They do tweak it a bit, Rio, but not in a big way.  Of all the commercial diet programs, I feel WW is pretty good.