Obesity Support Group
This community is dedicated to those of us struggling with obesity. Obesity is thought to be a significant risk factor in certain health conditions, leading to increased mortality. Find the support you need by sharing your story, asking questions, and learning from others on how they have coped.
Plan's name: Eat Fat, Get Thin
Book(s): Eat Fat, Get Thin! - first published in 1999 by Barry Groves.
About the author: Dr Groves and his wife, Monica, became overweight in the first few years after their marriage in 1957. He discovered the low carb diet in 1962, and both he and his wife lost weight with great success. They have maintained the weight loss since then.
He began studying the role of food types in the aetiology of obesity at that time, and in 1982 when he retired from the Royal Air Force, began full time research, later broadening the scope of his research to the relationship between diet and other modern 'diseases of civilisation' such as heart disease and cancer.
He has a PhD in Nutritional Science.
Basic Philosophy: This is a high fat, low carb plan, which allows 60g carbohydrates per day. Calories are unrestricted. Ketosis is considered unnecessary; Dr Groves even feels it is undesirable.
By the numbers: : There are no phases in this plan. One continues eating 60g carbs until goal is reached. At that time extra carbs can be added until no further weight is being lost.
Method: : Reduce your intake of refined carbs.
You can eat as much as you want of any meat, fish, poultry, cheese, cream, butter and eggs.
You can eat as much as you like of green leafy vegetables: cabbage, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, lettuce, and so on.
He does say that it is advisable to cut out some foods such as sugar and cereals completely, but does include small amounts in his menus. He cautions that you may need to be wary of such foods.
Fruit and vegetables are permitted, just cut down on the sweeter, starchier ones.
He says it is a good idea to give up bread, but if you feel you cannot, cut down to a maximum of 2 slices per day.
Exercise only if you want to.
Dr Groves states that exercise has its place in a healthy lifestyle, but says that as a means of losing weight it is a dead loss. Only do the exercise you enjoy.
Leave the fat on meat.
And do not remove the skin from chicken, duck or turkey. Use full cream milk in preference to skim, and have cream with your fruit if you wish.
Eat a high protein breakfast.
It is essential to start the day in such a way that your blood sugar levels are high and you will not have to snack between meals.
Chapter 9 cites studies which show that doing this can keep your blood sugar levels steady all day long.
If you are not overweight, do not diet.
The book includes a chapter where normal weight ranges are discussed.
Book(s): Eat Fat, Get Thin! - first published in 1999 by Barry Groves.
About the author: Dr Groves and his wife, Monica, became overweight in the first few years after their marriage in 1957. He discovered the low carb diet in 1962, and both he and his wife lost weight with great success. They have maintained the weight loss since then.
He began studying the role of food types in the aetiology of obesity at that time, and in 1982 when he retired from the Royal Air Force, began full time research, later broadening the scope of his research to the relationship between diet and other modern 'diseases of civilisation' such as heart disease and cancer.
He has a PhD in Nutritional Science.
Basic Philosophy: This is a high fat, low carb plan, which allows 60g carbohydrates per day. Calories are unrestricted. Ketosis is considered unnecessary; Dr Groves even feels it is undesirable.
By the numbers: : There are no phases in this plan. One continues eating 60g carbs until goal is reached. At that time extra carbs can be added until no further weight is being lost.
Method: : Reduce your intake of refined carbs.
You can eat as much as you want of any meat, fish, poultry, cheese, cream, butter and eggs.
You can eat as much as you like of green leafy vegetables: cabbage, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, lettuce, and so on.
He does say that it is advisable to cut out some foods such as sugar and cereals completely, but does include small amounts in his menus. He cautions that you may need to be wary of such foods.
Fruit and vegetables are permitted, just cut down on the sweeter, starchier ones.
He says it is a good idea to give up bread, but if you feel you cannot, cut down to a maximum of 2 slices per day.
Exercise only if you want to.
Dr Groves states that exercise has its place in a healthy lifestyle, but says that as a means of losing weight it is a dead loss. Only do the exercise you enjoy.
Leave the fat on meat.
And do not remove the skin from chicken, duck or turkey. Use full cream milk in preference to skim, and have cream with your fruit if you wish.
Eat a high protein breakfast.
It is essential to start the day in such a way that your blood sugar levels are high and you will not have to snack between meals.
Chapter 9 cites studies which show that doing this can keep your blood sugar levels steady all day long.
If you are not overweight, do not diet.
The book includes a chapter where normal weight ranges are discussed.
Make this a life change not a diet. It is a struggle I have people still considering me fat and making comments regardless of my loss. I am not going to rush through this because I am going to end up with loose skin. I am taking my time and this is for me and I am going to find a way and when we try at least we can say we did not just let this happened we fought our addiction every day.
Good luck!
When you're morbidly obese, or super morbidly obese, the actual losing of the weight process can take years to reach your goal. Then, you start the new journey of keeping off the weight you've lost; which is actually the most difficult part of the journey. To be able to do that, you HAVE to look inward, because that's where the eating disorder lives. You have to deal with that disorder with compassion, understanding and self-love. You have to be able to stand naked in front of a mirror and say, "...no matter what you weigh, no matter how the excess weight makes you look, I love you regardless."
LiliannB, from reading not only your original post here, but, several previous ones over the last several months, I believe your biggest problem here is that, because you're not directly addressing the problem is why you have an unhealthy relationship with food, you will start on a plan, then give up within a few weeks. I believe if you seek to heal your unhealthy relationship with food, you would find more determination to stay on your journey. Even so, it takes a MINIMUM of 30 days to reinforce a new habit.
As anyone who has ever lost a great deal of weight will tell you, that first 4 to 6 weeks or so is pure hell. I know it was for me. Did I feel like giving up? Absolutely...almost every single day. Did I feel like I had so much weight to lose that there wasn't even much point in trying? Yes, I felt that too. When I would lose 3 or 4 pounds in a week, did it feel like pouring a bucket of water in the ocean sometimes? Yes, it did. But, time goes by so fast, and the pounds lost will keep adding up if you keep doing the hard work every day. And, I gotta tell ya, some days I go to bed mentally EXHAUSTED from the mental work of dealing with my relationship with food.
You don't have to be perfect with this. If you can stay on track 80% of the time, you will lose weight. What I get from you though, is that you're either eating a lettuce sandwich for dinner, or you're eating three bags of candy in one sitting. You need to find a happy medium. Some people can keep the 20% stuff in the house, knowing that their "treat" will be there after the 80% stuff. For others, if the 20% stuff is in the house, they'll eat it, and keep eating it until it's gone. If you're in the last group, you need to make sure you stock up on healthy choices...fresh fruits (those little tangelo things are so good...they're sweet AND they're filling!). 100 calorie packs are also good...(love the Chips Ahoy ones!), but, if you think you would eat more than 1-2 at one sitting, they won't help you. Summer will be here before we know it, and I like to make a huge container of fruit chunks...watermelon, cantalope, honeydew melon, pineapple, etc. A bowl or two of that is VERY filling. I really love steamed broccoli, and have it several times a week for dinner, along with about 4 ozs of lean meat, usually chicken. Very, very filling. And, there's always WATER. A lot of the time, when we have these cravings, all our body is wanting is water.
It's not an easy journey, hon, but, you have to stay on the road. You keep taking the freeway exit as soon as you hit traffic. But, the traffic is there to teach you about yourself.
You're stronger than you know. You can do this.
Hugs,
Janice