As part of my desperate efforts to lose a minimum of five kilos in two months, I have decided to write down a list of banned items, which I should not approach or even fantasize about. Here’s the list of no-no’s:
- French fries
- Burger
- Fried chicken
- Beer
- Chips
- Chocolate
- Ice cream
- Sweets
So far I have not sinned. Let’s see if I can sustain the will-power. Staying away from chocolate is killing me. I’m now going through the "withdrawal" phase!
I met with a nutritionist lately for the purpose of following a moderately strict diet. Here are some of the tips she brought from her experience. You can eat four to five servings per meal from Carbohydrates (in addition to non carbohydrates food like white meat- fish.vegetables.etc which do not count toward carbs). You can eat half of that as snacks between meals. where a serving is defined as ” 15 grams of Carbohydrate and varying amounts of protein and fat.” Here is a list of some foods with number of servings per unit. (1)Bagel, Large(4oz)= 4 servings. (2) Bun,hamburger or hot dog (1 bun(1oz)= 2 servings. (3) French fries,regular cut,frozen: 12 fries= 1 serving (4) Pasta :1/3 cup = 1 serving. (5) Potato;white baked or boiled, medium 4″ long = 2 servings. (6) Apple, orange, peach or pear small = one serving per piece. (7) Banana, medium = 2 servings .(8) Grapes or cherries : 12 (7abbeh) = one serving. (9) Milk, skim 2% or 1% (1 cup of 8 oz) = one serving. (10) Bread (wheat or white), one slice of 1 ounce = one serving (11) Yougurt, low fat, artificially sweetened, or plain, 1 cup (8 oz) = one serving. (12)Yougurt, low fat, sweetened with fruit = 2-3 servings (13) Lasagna 3″ x 4″ piece= 2 1/2 servings. (14) Brownie, or cake, frosted, 2″ x 2″ = 2 servings. (15) Doughnut, 3″ = 2 servings. (16) Ice cream, light or regular 1/2 cup = one serving. (17) Popcorn, microwave, light, popped 1/2 bag = 2 servings. (18) Candy bar, chooclate, snack size, about 2″ = one serving. (19) Rice, cooked , brown or white , 1 cup = 3 servings.
Thank you guys for the useful tips. I don’t think I can cut down both carbs and fat at the same time. I mean I live in Qatar for crying out loud and food is comfort;-)
I will try to minimize my intake of carbs though, and see what happens. This means I have to stay away from items like rice, bread, potatoes, pasta..what else?
Has anyone heard of eating in moderation and exercising? I started doing that for the past 7 months and was able to loose 25 pounds. Natasha, dont deprive yourself of the foods you love. have them, but in moderation, along with all the other healthy foods you will eat. and of course, exercise. once you get used to that, you will want to stay at the gym for ever.
My boss was on the Atkins diet for a long time; we used to give him a hard time about it saying that a PhD in a department of biochemistry should know better; anyway the only advantage of him being on a diet low in carbohydrates was that he was able to diagnose his celiac disease. The problem with Atkins is that we still don’t know the long-term effects of it on the body. For one, the brain relies on glucose for energy and this can not be supplied in as much levels from proteins and fat (Could low levels of glucose hence impaired mental ability have been the cause of Dr. Atkins not seeing clearly in front of him, tripping and breaking his skull and dying? Sorry, that’s not very nice to say). Nevertheless, it is a fad that will eventually level off, in fact the percentage of people on the Atkins diet went from something like 7.5% in early 2004 to 4 % towards the end of it; Companies specializing in low-carb diets reported a decrease in sales too.
Let me conclude with a quote I posted a few months ago on my blog. It was when we as grad students were making an inside joke about the Atkins diet in one of the biochemistry journal clubs and one other professor, who did not know that boss was on that diet, said “The Atkins diets is the dumbest thing since bell-bottom pants.”
I recognize that our bodies are all different and react differently to different eating and exercising habits.
In my experience, soft drinks were my biggest culprits. After three weeks of having a fountain cola with lunch, I felt lethargic and ready to explode. So the next three weeks I cut them out and lo and behold I got my flat tummy back.
Now I try and make sure I never have more than one or two sodas in a week. But never going back to having one everyday!
“Hubby,”
Low carb diet is good, but you have to know how to play the game. As soon as your body returns to carbs, it will absorb them so fast and one usually gains weight quickly. The trick is to return to carbs gradually and balance the rest of your diet…Too much cholestrol hurts your body and so do carbs..so u have to know how to play the game..low -fat, low -carb diets work very well for me, so I guess after all my “Atkins” diet turns out to be not a real “Atkins” diet. Funny!
hey Natasha, good luck on your diet i have tried many but only one worked out i’ll email it to you if you want! (when i go back to amman)
and if i want to tell you something: if you eat something sweet in tho morning be4 breakfast your boddy wont ask for any thing sweet during the whole day,
and this thing is real and tested: when your body asks for chocolate you better give it chocolate a small piece will do because if you dont the first time you eat chocolate after dieting you’ll gain double the amount of the clories from the same piece of chocolate you didnt eat!!
any diet tips u can ask me
ive tried every Nutrition in Amman:)
i’m not happy about it but i’m doing better on my own its all in your head if u fix ur mind on sthn u’ll get it in the end just dont give up 🙂
That Atkins, people are always singing its praises. But I’ve heard some bad reports lately and read a long term in-depth assessment that showed it tying most of the other leading diets over time. Atkins wins the short stretch but then plateaus and the others catch up. I’m afraid it strikes me as “fad,” which many diets prove to be by their title and very nature. There needs to be a life change, a new way of eating. I will say I like the move to control caffeine and sugar in Atkins. The spikes of sugar highs and lows have always killed me personally.
I read about a new not diet but new way of eating for life called low-GI, which I believe stands for glycemic index, or sugar index in essence. This diet allows the eating of carbohydrates but pushes the eating of slowly digested carbs that don’t cause spikes in blood sugar, bringing those highs and lows. In this diet, some things make sense that didn’t in Atkins. Foods that for eons have been regarded as “good for you” still are. Calories still count but basically you can eat these low GI foods without worry. This diet also doesn’t leave you hungry. These low-GI foods keep the serotonin flowing, making you feel good and not promoting the hungries that high-GI carbs do. So you eat less. I always found it a vicious cycle that high-GI foods — bad for you already — prompt you to eat more of the same crap. Apparently, low-GI do not.
This plan is now making the rounds with the likes of Kylie Minogue and the Clintons. I like it because it addresses the issues of blood sugar spikes, working to eliminate future problems like diabetes. Nutritionists are behind it because it is a lifestyle change, it is a diet change for life that is healthy and promotes weigh loss, moving us to our ‘ideal’ body weight. All that makes sense to me.
Sounds very tough! I’ve gained like 6 kgs in the past 3 months :\ but its winter anyhow….
Good luck 🙂
As an advocate of Atkins diet, I would love to invite you to try it. I’ve lost 8 pounds in the last 12 days. Take it from me: stay away from carbs and you will be fine.