Posted by Toby on September 9, 1998, at 9:21:34
In reply to Flexomeride, posted by Paula on September 5, 1998, at 15:16:35
Don't know specifically about Flexomeride, but I'd be wary of anything sold out of Tijuana other than the margaritas. There are no regulations on meds in Mexico and you can't be sure of what you are getting, the purity of it or anything else and if you have a bad reaction there is no recourse, you're just stuck with what you've got. That said, if weight loss is what you want, the only "cure" for it is exercise and eating right. The pills just work for awhile and then the weight comes right back and you will probably gain even more due to the rebound effect. Everybody hates to hear about eating right and exercise, but that's the plain ugly truth -- it's the only way to keep off the weight, be healthy and end up really looking good (you've got to tone up once the fat has shrunk). And that shrinking is the reason the weight returns after a diet is over -- the fat cells never go away (unless you have liposuction) they just shrink up as you use the energy inside them. After the diet is over you have to continue to use more energy than they can store, so you have to exercise. If you are too overweight to exercise very well right now, walking as briskly as you can for 30 minutes per day is a good start. Nothing wrong with Slim Fast to start with, Richard Simmons Deal a Meal, all those kinds of things, but most folks complain of not being able to be spontaneous and having to count calories. What you want to do is plan the main meals of the week ahead during those extra 30 minutes we all have now that Seinfeld is off the air. For the rest of the meals that we usually grab because it's convenient like fast food at lunch or donuts for breakfast, you want to plan ahead enough so that you have a rotating, "fast" alternative like a variety of yogurt or instant cereal for breakfast, 2-3 different fruits for that 10 am hunger, microwave Healthy Choice lunches (cheaper than McDonalds when you get them on sale or with coupons) and then raw veggies for that 3pm hunger. Then for dinner no fast food either, even if you've got kids. You want two veggies, a meat, bread and a salad. Go light on the meat (like no BBQ, fried anything or pork) especially at first so that your tastebuds will start to change their cravings. Microwave everything you can and it's often faster than going through a drivethrough window (I've timed it). Avoid the chip and cookie aisle at the grocery store. If you get bored and eat, then every time you find yourself headed to the fridge when it's not mealtime, find something else to do -- clean something, use that time to walk for 15 minutes, talk to your kid, call a friend and talk to them in the bedroom, bathroom or somewhere where food is not so you won't nibble while talking. Don't eat in front of the TV -- move dinner to the table and turn on music. If you get cravings, don't completely try to deprive yourself -- like for chocolate, use it as a reward for accomplishments in your life, but not for every little thing and you have to pre-establish the quantity of the reward so you don't scarf up a whole bag of Kisses at one sitting. Another way to handle cravings is to try to delay gratifying it for 20 minutes -- do something that will take about 20 minutes and if you still want it after that time, go ahead (usually you will forget about it altogether or remember it only after a long time which is the goal, to eat less, so if you delay eating for any amount of time, you have accomplished something). Another way to change your thinking about food is to make a list of why you want to lose weight and then rank the things in the order of importance and then make a list of reasons not to worry about changing your weight and rank these things in order of importance; compare the lists and see if you have enough on the first list to really warrant a change. If so, then keep a copy on the fridge, cabinet and in your car (for those fast food attacks) and refer to it often. You can also use it in reference to each kind of food you are about it eat -- "Say, this cheesecake represents those clogged arteries I want to avoid and it takes me one step away from that thong bikini. On the other hand, I need comfort right now because my significant other doesn't appreciate me." Weigh these two, and if the need for comfort can't be met in any other way, like maybe talking to your sig other, or even just saying to yourself, "I could give a flying flip what my sig other thinks, this is for me!!" then have that cheesecake. Otherwise, put it back. All of the above is called Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and you can do it yourself even without Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig but you have to practice, practice, practice. Messing up once in a while isn't a failure, but not trying or completely giving in because of one little slip defeats your goal.
Well, that's alot of stuff, but truly it's the only way to make a difference. Starvation only works while you are starving and generally people get cranky and make themselves and everybody else miserable while they are starving. And you need to learn new ways to occupy yourself and your mind so that food doesn't have to be your only resource to fill the void.
poster:Toby
thread:538
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19980901/msgs/576.html