Diet land - intrepid exploring

[Kat Lind]

Well - I finally found a diet plan that I can really work with. I am starting the Zola Diet at the end of this week. Although I have been looking for something that would help, I have been unable to find a protocol that would balance my gout, lymphedema and weight with some degree of safety. I investigated a large number of options, but this one is the first that I thought would work. So please wish me good luck and keep me in your prayers!

[Diva Linda]

You certainly have all my good thoughts.  Linda D.

[KellyLoftice]

Always. 

I think I am going to do the MediFast program so I can lower my cholesterol quickly.  The meds make me crazy so exercise and crash dieting have to do the trick.

Kelly

[Kat Lind]

The Medifast diet is pretty impressive, but it would totally make my lymphedema crazy, so the Mayo doctor put the kabosh (sp?) on that for me. Good luck! I am going to track my weight very carefully - and hopefully be encouraged. Let me know how it goes for you. Kathryn Albert has decided to go on the diet with me - so I will have more remote company also. She and her husband will be be doing it. This is a problem only in that we are both sewing for Puyallup, and will have to do lots of last minute sewing.... oh well.

[Vicki]

I hope it works for you Kat!  I know how hard it is to try diets when you have to avoid different foods.
I'll keep on praying for you.

[duckie412]

Good luck Kat -- actually when I get home I think it looks like I may just join you and Kathryn on this one. Need to read more and probably ask my RD [who is very protective of what I do].
Duckie

[KellyLoftice]

I think this is the same diet a friend is planning to try.  She said the hcg tricks your body into thinking it is pregnant and tries to feed the baby that isn't there.  How would this work for a man?  She is planning to do it via injections and warned me that she would be losing weight drastically.  I can't wait to see her in a few months as she is planning to drop 40 pounds.  I'll call her and see if she has started yet and how she's doing, then give you her results.

Kelly

[albertkj]

Kat is right - I'm going to do it also and Jim is too. Nope - didn't 'talk him into it'. We've been trying to figure out how we're going to lose weight so we looked at the various links that Zola sent us.  It sanity checked and we're going to try it.

I've done Diet Center, Nutrisystem, HMR (connected to Olmsted Medical Center here in Rochester and similar to Medifast including all the blood tests), etc., and just keep going up. I could eat pretty much what I wanted until I was in my mid-twenties, and I want to get back to that. This regime holds out some hope of that. After HMR is when I started having gall bladder problems, and they had warned about the possibility. I got down to 160 on that one. With HMR, I think too long with no fats (much more than 40 days). Mayo wants to take my gall bladder out - I'm in the slow lane on any more surgery but just have to call to schedule any time I want it out - Dr reminded me of that at my physical again this year.

It is not the same diet as your friend Kelly - no injections - but there are likely some similarities. This does use homeopathic drops that contain hcg among other things.  The body adapts - which is why you keep hearing the 40 pounds in 40 days number.  It is NOT 80 pounds in 80 days. One must cycle through a time of normal eating (claim is 2000 calories or better) before trying a second (or more) cycle. The idea is to also back off from impending insulin resistance. I'm not in trouble yet but if I don't get this weight off, I'm headed that direction.

Anyway - I'm excited about the possibility, and we're no longer feeding my Mother so figure we can go through Christmas with minimal inconvenience. The one diet we had tried once that was probably the most successful was the Berger diet, and that was an elimination diet to flush allergies, not lose weight. However, weight came off on that one also and we had an embarrasing amount of energy - no crashing when we were in task avoidance - couldn't do it - too alert. That one cycled and for 2 weeks had zero of the what he called the 'Sinister 7' -  wheat, sugar, corn, yeast, eggs, milk and soy. Then one was to add each back in one at a time to verify allergies. But it was prescriptive and we spent all our time shopping or planning to shop - specific things on specific days for specific meals. I'm not that fond of the kitchen. This Zola looks like it is easier in that you have much more autonomy within the guidelines.

Probably way more than you wanted to know - but...  that's the story.

Kathryn

[Kat Lind]

I got my kit today to start, but I am going to read everything several times first. I am very excited - and praying a LOT! I will let you know how it goes.

[KellyLoftice]

I'm excited and waiting to hear all the scoop!  Good on 'ya.

Kelly

[AliceM]

Something I noticed while still a clinical/hospital nurse: shortly after delivery, the Moms started having gall bladder trouble leading to surgery.  If they were breast feeding, this was a real problem as any medication/anesthesia they received went to the baby in breast milk.  Just be careful of the HCG diet.  It could lead to cholecystitis, especially if your cholesterol drops rapidly.

[albertkj]

Well - Our package arrived today, so since the diet needs to be started in the morning, tomorrow appears to be the day we start. We'll also need to do some different kind of shopping.

Kathryn

[duckie412]

So ladies -- what exactly are you getting to eat on the reduction part and how many calories are we talking about. Been all over that web site and couldn't get an idea. Found a few reviews on a different site which mentioned 500 calories which this body can't do again but figure that wasn't what you are doing so that is why I am asking.
Duckie

[Kat Lind]

Hi Duckie - There is lots of food, but it tends not to be high calorie. I was on a 400-calorie per day diet back several decades ago - and it really made me ill. This is also a low calorie diet for the reduction cycle, but it is not so unbalanced. There are some carbs in the form of bread sticks, melba toast, fruit - lots of veggies and protein. The protein is slanted at different things during the different stages. The thing I find the weirdest is that turkey is off the menu for the reduction phase - I am used to that being ok. I guess it messes with your metabolism. Any way - I have lost 4.8 pounds as of this AM, since I started on Friday. For this lymphedema body, that is nothing short of incredible.

[Kat Lind]

I thought it might be a total anomaly - the weight loss from yesterday. So this AM I was very nervous approaching the dreaded scale. Image my surprise when the silly thing told me that I had lost another two pounds! I know that this is water weight and that the lymphedema really plays games with the whole tracking thing, but I am so encouraged. For the first time in a long time I have lost some weight - what a great feeling. No major issues with the diet yet - keep good thoughts for me!