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[Terri]

Okay, I have an idea for those of you struggling with no weight loss. I use to run some support groups for people that followed the Zone diet and they too would get into a plateau and it seemed like it would drag on and on. Until we rediscovered what Dr. Sears suggested in his book. What you do is eliminate all high glycemic foods and increase low glycemic veggies and fruits and add a little more protein to each meal. It works wonders. We saw people come right out of their plateau. Hope this helps.
I find not eating bread at all during a plateau is enough for me to speed up the weight loss, too. In fact the only grains I eat are high fiber grains in my cereal in the morning. I have given up on bread as in a food. Okay, once in a while I have a bite or 2 of a piece of bread or roll and I realize I am not missing a whole lot!
Terri

[losing-it]

Okay, I have an idea for those of you struggling with no weight loss. I use to run some support groups for people that followed the Zone diet and they too would get into a plateau and it seemed like it would drag on and on. Until we rediscovered what Dr. Sears suggested in his book. What you do is eliminate all high glycemic foods and increase low glycemic veggies and fruits and add a little more protein to each meal. It works wonders. We saw people come right out of their plateau. Hope this helps.
I find not eating bread at all during a plateau is enough for me to speed up the weight loss, too. In fact the only grains I eat are high fiber grains in my cereal in the morning. I have given up on bread as in a food. Okay, once in a while I have a bite or 2 of a piece of bread or roll and I realize I am not missing a whole lot!
Terri

Hi Terri,

In the past, and just before I started SLD, I've successfully used a very short term ketogenic, "fat fast" diet to get off the plateau or kick-start a diet for a quick weigh loss. For only 4-7 days I eat only 1200 daily calories of high fat (80% fat + -) foods with some carbs/green vegetables (avocado, lettuce, celery, green beans, asparagus, etc.) between 8-12 carb units or so, vitamin/mineral supplements, and fluids including 64 oz water, which is  4 16oz bottles. The natural sweetener I use is Stevia. After the week of ketogenic dieting, I go back to normal 1200-1500 calories (I'm female; men would want to adjust their calories according to their needs). Most will be familiar with ketogenic dieting through the Atkins Diet. The fat-fast is related to what the Atkins Diet does, similar to their Induction Phase, and has been featured on the Atkins in the past (I've never done the Atkins Diet, myself).

Fatty foods that would induce the needed short term ketosis include cream cheese, cheeses, whipping cream or half-and-half, butter, eggs, tuna packed in oil, salmon, sardines packed in oil, sausage, liverwurst, steak, macadamia nuts, olives packed in oil, pork rinds, pepperoni sticks, etc. Not a heart-healthy diet, but not a long-term diet, being only a week in duration. One could easily continue taking SLD oil on a ketogenic as part of the calorie intake. (Going into ketosis forces the body to burn fat for energy instead of glucose. An adequate protein intake keeps the body from breaking down muscle tissue).

By the time I get to the 4th or 5th day, I am detesting high fat foods and meat, while craving fresh fruit and veggies. As with SLD, on the fat fast I pee a lot and get a bit constipated. I usually have some raw (Bragg's) apple cider vinegar in or on something during the day which, I think, helps.

Dr. Sears' suggestion for eliminating high-glycemic foods would be much healthier than the "fat fast", especially for long term plateau busting. But the "fat fast" ketosis has worked well for me, the three times I've used it. - losing-it

[falconcy]

I did the Zone Diet ages ago and found it really good. Why didn't I stick to it? Simply that it was way too complex to work out how to balance the food to get a good 40:30:30 ratio.

I wouldn't mind having a crack at it again if I could find a way to easily work out the right balance. I'm pretty sure that it would work really well in conjunction with the SLD.

[mamenie]

But Terri, don't you think the whole beauty of SLD is being able to do something you ca stick with for the rest of your life ? If you lose weight by whatever means, even the best, without having lowered your setpoint, what have you gained ? You'll put it back on again, once again... so I figure it's better just to wait for the setpoint to go down with SLD, if it's going to happen, it's just a matter of time, and if it isn't, then nothing will work long term either.

[go2grl]

I think Terri meant do that in conjunction with SLD. In that scenario you're losing weight AND moving your setpoint down to match your weight.

Some of us - esp. those with less to lose have to assist SLD by "pushing" the setpoint down - namely do more than just take the oil. I think of it this way: You add in calories (oil, SW) that register a 0 (ie don't move your setpoint up).  That helps your setpoint edge below your weight which in turn gives you good AS which encourages less eating.  Great cycle.

For some people adding those 400 or less calories encourages enough change that they can eat a SLD-normal amount of food and lose.  For others, they are still taking too many calories to lose and so the SLD effect they get is more likely to be along the lines of a decrease in appetite and maintaining their weight.  People with more to lose are likely to have the first effect and those with less to lose see the latter.

For those of us that need to make changes in our diets to lose - we can do it painlessly with proper AS. So that sounds do-able for life to me.

I'm pretty much in maintenance mode now - and I find that I can eat a good bit more on SLD and maintain than I could while I was losing.  So I wouldn't look at cutting back calories, or avoiding certain foods as a "for the rest of your lfe" thing (but you might find that you're perfectly happy with those changes!). 

When you've lost the weight you want, the SLD calories you take will be to help you maintain a setpoint that matches your weight.  You will have more appetite and will be able to eat what feels like a "normal" amount.  Granted it won't be the amount you ate before you ever started SLD - but it won't feel like a state of denial either.

[sammie]

Well put, g2g, and I agree, it's a great idea, Terri.  It's basically in line with the "extra credit" outlined in the book - eating low glycemic foods.  A side benefit, of course, is that many low glycemic foods are exceptionally nutritious, and I think that helps with weight loss as well.  When your nutritional needs are being met, it's easier to shed pounds - I've proven that to myself over and over again (ha).  And without doubt having stable blood sugar (the outcome of eating low glycemic foods) means easier weight loss, better AS, better health - there is no drawback at all.  If SLD is a tool that helps all of us move toward consuming overall healthier foods - not just losing weight - wow, that is seriously powerful stuff.

[Terri]

Wow, I totally apologize for not replying to these mesages. With all going on around here with the holidays, I missed this forum! Crazy days. I am so glad to read all your replies. I am continuing to follow the Zone diet with SLD and seeing wonderful results. I am seeing a healthier and happier face in the mirror. I don't want to sound braggy or anything, but truly, I am seeing a younger face when I look in the mirror. My skin looks so brighter and the pores so much finer. With all the good food choices and the wonderful ELOO, I am seeing a major change and it is astounding to me. On Christmas Eve, I gave my 2 son-in-laws a crazy plaque that was of a cranky looking mother-in-law. You push a button and this song comes on about "Mother-in-law" and then the MIL starts talking in a real obnoxious tone of voice and it was hilarious. It got rave reviews when I took it out of my sil's hands and started singing with it and dancing around!! They were in hysterics and they thought I had practiced!! I felt so young and they were totally enjoying this! My parents were hysterical. It felt so good to be up and dancing around. What's amazign is I had the get up and go to get up and sing and dance!! Thank you ELOO and the Zone!!! 
I guess what I really want to say here is if you are seeing results in the way you look and feel, then being in a plateau for a little while is not a big deal. Give it time. Keep doing what you know to be the right thing for you and things will work out.
Terri ~ the wild Mother-In-Law!

[joannwhit]

Thank you ELOO and the Zone!!! 
I guess what I really want to say here is if you are seeing results in the way you look and feel, then being in a plateau for a little while is not a big deal. Give it time. Keep doing what you know to be the right thing for you and things will work out.
Terri ~ the wild Mother-In-Law!

'ya know, I recall flirting with the Zone Diet back in the mid-1990s, and while I don't recall what weight I may have lost, I still remember to this day that it was absolutely the best I've ever felt:  full of energy, optimistic, enthusiastic, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound....

As I've been browsing the forums I've come across Terri's references to the Zone Diet several times, and I think I'm gonna give it another try. 

I can surely relate to the folks who think its complicated, but the older I get, (I am staring 50 straight in the eyes here!) the more I can resonate with the words of one of my old college professors.  Some of my peers were complaining in his class that organic/healthy foods were just waaaaay more expensive than the mainstream packaged stuff.  His reply "Yes, its expensive, but how much is your body worth?"

Thanks, Terri for the information and inspiration!  Zone Diet, here I come.

[flickad]

Cutting my calories ended my last plateau, though I seem to have hit another one now (though I have under 10lbs left before I reach my goal anyway). It's not hard to cut calories on Shangri La, though, because hunger is fairly rare. It's taste that you miss, if you miss anything.

[go2grl]

Hi Flickad!  Sounds like SLD is working for you - I'm sure you will figure out to get this newest plateau to end.  Do share - how much weight have you lost on SLD and how long have you been doing it?

[flickad]

Hi Flickad!  Sounds like SLD is working for you - I'm sure you will figure out to get this newest plateau to end.  Do share - how much weight have you lost on SLD and how long have you been doing it?

I started either at the end of November or the beginning of December. As soon as the book arrived in the mail from amazon, anyway. I definitely ordered it in November. I've lost about 25lbs so far.

[losing-it]

Hi Flickad!  Sounds like SLD is working for you - I'm sure you will figure out to get this newest plateau to end.  Do share - how much weight have you lost on SLD and how long have you been doing it?

I started either at the end of November or the beginning of December. As soon as the book arrived in the mail from amazon, anyway. I definitely ordered it in November. I've lost about 25lbs so far.

Wow, flickad, that's fantastic! I started my weight reduction in October, and started SLD in early December. The greatest weight reduction help I've ever found, as so many others here attest, also, in their experience. Welcome!

[shinju_chan]

Things I have done to get out of a plateau (have had many) at any one point in time, and not all at the same time: increase/vary exercise, cut out sugar, decrease/vary caloric intake, not eating at night, not eating while drinking alcohol.  Nearly all of them became a habit in a less stricter form, but all habits which I occassionally break, particularly while on vacation.  For me the best thing for a plateau, besides not continuing to alter intake/output, is patience.

[Magpie]

For me the best thing for a plateau, besides not continuing to alter intake/output, is patience.
Where can I get some!!! :lol: :lol:

[shinju_chan]

For me the best thing for a plateau, besides not continuing to alter intake/output, is patience.
Where can I get some!!! :lol: :lol:

LOL, I`ll admit I don`t have any either sometimes, which is why I enforce the above techniques all the while telling myself, I`ll get there eventually!  I`ve gotten so far until now!  Recently started reading a book called "Breathe! You Are Alive! Sutra on the Full Awareness of Breathing" by Thich Nhat Hanh, also helping me settle into patience mode.  Highly recommended!