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I'll have to agree with folks about that fiber bar--everyone I know who has tried to lose weight with any kind of meal bars has not succeeded, even with Atkins bars--either there's too much sugar in them or else your body thinks it's sugar and behaves accordingly.
For me, those fiber bars are what I eat, instead of wolfing down a package of Oreos. Or an ice cream sundae. Or a pack of M&Ms. One Fiber One bar, or a thick creamy slice of cheesecake.
I get to satisfy my sweet tooth, while still getting a whole lot more nutrition and a whole lot less sugar, than if I had what I was really itching to eat.
Yes, I'd be better off not having any of it, and eating a salad instead. But a salad isn't sugar, it isn't chocolate, it isn't starch, and if I eat a salad when I really want sugar and chocolate and starch, I'll just end up eating the salad, AND a candy bar, AND a large order of french fries.
So I get the fiber bar. And add a salad, so I'm full, satisfied, and nutritionated (I made that word up, it's good huh!).
According to your description, it sounds like you are entirely addicted to highly processed foods. Try living one week off of food that doesn't come in a package (except meats of course) and see how you feel. You have to be willing to put in the effort to see results, convenience foods have a price-- they take a toll on your health. You need to switch to more raw and unprocessed foods that arent loaded with sugar, artificial fats, and preservatives. As a general rule of thumb the deeper and more intensely colored your food is the better, so go for foods that are dark green, purple, red, orange, and yellow.
If you are computer savvy, find an online or phone calorie tracker that you like (I use livestrong, but there are other programs out there that are just as good, like fit day, lose it...just check online), and use that to record every bite you put into your mouth. That's right, every bite of food.
If you are not computer savvy, you can still track your food...I would suggest checkbook style. Again, write down EVERYTHING you put into your mouth. Estimate the calories, it does not have to be totally accurate...just write it down. You will see the trend. It really is amazing to find out that most of us are or were eating way more than we thought. It's really easy (& typical) to start bargaining with oneself as to why a certain food does not count, or why one should not have to record it. It's really best if you record your food as you eat it, or in advance of eating as I now do. Just remember, you have to be brutally honest with yourself.
Once you do that for a week, then take a look at it, and see what you are really eating. When I did this, I realized I was eating 40-50% of my diet on nonnutritional foods - you need to determine what you consider these foods to be...for me, it was carbs -- crackers, cookies, etc. I then gradually cut these foods out.
I've also been tracking my food off & on for the past 5 years. It makes a huge difference, and keeps me honest. I like being able to look back overtime, and see what I was eating, especially when I'm in a weight gain mode. I would never have known, if I relied on my memory. The National Weight Control Registry National Weight Control Registry says that tracking one's food is one of the keys to not only weight loss, but weight maintenance.
Good luck! You can do it!
Any weight changes (up or down) without changes in habit call for a doctor check up.
I agree to log your calories and you can give that to your doctor to help see whats wrong. I prefer spark people. Log correctly and get a scale for food to do so. Digital kitchen scales are quick and easy to use. Do not diet though until you had a check up. This gain could be from diabetes,thyroid, etc and you don't want risk or confusion in trying to find out a proper diagnosis of that is the case.
You just want to present yourself as is to your doctor to see if its safe to diet or if your needs are a medical type instead of a nutritional one.
For me, those fiber bars are what I eat, instead of wolfing down a package of Oreos. Or an ice cream sundae. Or a pack of M&Ms. One Fiber One bar, or a thick creamy slice of cheesecake.
I get to satisfy my sweet tooth, while still getting a whole lot more nutrition and a whole lot less sugar, than if I had what I was really itching to eat.
Yes, I'd be better off not having any of it, and eating a salad instead. But a salad isn't sugar, it isn't chocolate, it isn't starch, and if I eat a salad when I really want sugar and chocolate and starch, I'll just end up eating the salad, AND a candy bar, AND a large order of french fries.
So I get the fiber bar. And add a salad, so I'm full, satisfied, and nutritionated (I made that word up, it's good huh!).
That makes perfect sense to me but can you lose weight with those things, or simply maintain it? If you can lose with them that's great for you but I know several people, including myself, who can't.
That makes perfect sense to me but can you lose weight with those things, or simply maintain it? If you can lose with them that's great for you but I know several people, including myself, who can't.
Do you have blood sugar issues yourself or in your family?
Do you exercise?
What is your bmi or body fat? (would you say your body has a higher fat percentage?)
I always find this little tid bit very interesting as I have seen it be affected by those three factors in myself and others.
That makes perfect sense to me but can you lose weight with those things, or simply maintain it? If you can lose with them that's great for you but I know several people, including myself, who can't.
I don't know. I'm not trying to lose weight OR maintain it. I'm trying to get fit and make more appropriate choices in my eating habits. Losing weight is a side effect of getting fit and eating -better- than you were previously.
I've lost 30 pounds in a year. My goal has nothing to do with the number on the scale. It has everything to do with how I -feel-. My health, my overall fitness, my endurance, level of pain and stress in my life and in my body. I imagine that once I get to the level I'm most comfortable with, that I feel I can sustain indefinitely, I'll probably have lost another 10-15 pounds.
Do you have blood sugar issues yourself or in your family?
Do you exercise?
What is your bmi or body fat? (would you say your body has a higher fat percentage?)
I always find this little tid bit very interesting as I have seen it be affected by those three factors in myself and others.
Yes on blood sugar issues, yes on overweight--would like to lose about 30 lbs, and yes I exercise very regularly. Went to a dance weekend and danced about 6-8 hours of each day, quite vigorously and I was one of the diehards that didn't want to quit--it was me and a bunch of skinny people left at 2 am. I'd say I average about 4 days a week of vigorous exercise and each dance session lasts about 3 hours, which I count as one exercise session. I'm headed into menopause though so my body does not want to turn loose of the weight and I'm trying to figure out the evolutionary reason for that.
When I was using the Atkins bars though, I was still able to lose weight if I wanted to and I had a job substitute teaching and I never knew if I'd have access to a fridge or a microwave so I always took an phase one meal bar for lunch. The rest of the day I ate reasonably with no sweets but during that time I lost no weight at all. Then a friend mentioned she was doing Atkins induction with the meal bars and couldn't lose any weight either so I told her of my experience and she dropped them and lost some weight. Also got in a convo at work one day and most agreed or realized that they weren't losing weight with them either.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AnonChick
I don't know. I'm not trying to lose weight OR maintain it. I'm trying to get fit and make more appropriate choices in my eating habits. Losing weight is a side effect of getting fit and eating -better- than you were previously.
I've lost 30 pounds in a year. My goal has nothing to do with the number on the scale. It has everything to do with how I -feel-. My health, my overall fitness, my endurance, level of pain and stress in my life and in my body. I imagine that once I get to the level I'm most comfortable with, that I feel I can sustain indefinitely, I'll probably have lost another 10-15 pounds.
I'm not in a rush, and I'm not on a diet.
OK, again it makes sense and is an appropriate use of the fiber bars. I'm guessing our OP is in more of a hurry than that to knock off some lbs. I never said fiber bars are bad, just that if she's trying to lose weight they may not be the best choice for now.
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I'd say I average about 4 days a week of vigorous exercise and each dance session lasts about 3 hours, which I count as one exercise session. I'm headed into menopause though so my body does not want to turn loose of the weight and I'm trying to figure out the evolutionary reason for that. 
