First! If you haven’t heard of my BIG “Take Me Away” contest, get thee to my site and check it out!
So as you may know, I’ve been trying to ‘be healthy’ for a couple years now. I’ve been doing all right. I’ve lost 37lbs and am still going. But it’s slow. And sometimes I just want a little extra help.
Like many kids nowadays, I started having body image issues around middle school. So I remember eating only an
apple at lunch for months during the school year. And then in high school, I tried slim fast. But it wasn’t in the cans, it was like the old school add scoop to water and stir stuff. I quit that after I saw a huge bug crawling in the container. Only, I dumped out the powder and couldn’t find it. So I think I was hallucinating from the sh*t. Yeeeah.
Then in college there were the fad diets…I did Atkins for about a week and then would’ve sold my car for a loaf of bread. South Beach is cool, but you really gotta cook a lot unless you’re eating cold food all the time. Then I hit a point where I absolutely HAD to change, so I did. I saw a nutritionist and learned how to really eat. Since that day (with a minor blip in the radar between pregnancy and getting published) I was being pretty darn healthy. But now I’m back trying to lose the weight from that blip and doing it the right way, even if I still have the itch to speed things up.
Now I was watching Fox news (this is not an endorsement, I just like the visual layout), and they started talking about vinegar and how research is proving it helps you lose weight. So I started Googling the fashizzle out of vinegar. And wow! The stuff I found! Did you know it’s like an age old remedy for like EVERYTHING? So I figured, sure why not. I’ll give it a try. 
So I’ve been sipping Apple Cider Vinegar for about a week now (2 TBSP diluted with a glass of water) before meals and bed. I feel a cleaner inside and my pants started to fit loose, but stepping on the scale showed nothing. Then I went away for the weekend, and continued my regimen but ate kind of bad. Got home, stepped on the scale. I was down a pound!!
So I’m going to stick with it! At first it was a bit of a nasty swallow, but now I’ve got to say I’m actually starting to enjoy it. Crave it. I know. So very very weird. I should also add my SIL great grandma did a shot of vinegar daily and lived to be a 104 or something. So I’m inspired!
So how about you. Any weird/crazy/normal things you’ve done to make your body banging? Improve your health? Share!
Shelli Stevens » Blog Archive » What have you tried to lose weight?
July 6th, 2009 at
2:15 am
[...] The things we do for weight loss… [...]
Emmanuelle
July 6th, 2009 at
5:05 am
ok I’m officially a vinegar drinker !!!
When I want to lose a few pounds I usualy do the “special k” diet for a week or 2, always pretty effective in my case.
Natasha A.
July 6th, 2009 at
11:22 am
I have heard of the cider vinegar thing. The craziest thing I did was Atkins. God that was insane. I didn’t understand how eating a pound of bacon was ok, but a fruit wasn’t! Oi! lol
Melissa Conatser
July 6th, 2009 at
12:07 pm
I have done a little of everything to lose weight. I just never stick with it. I have done the vinegar thing and need to get back to it. You will lose weight, but even better, you just feel better. More energy, cleaner, happier. I actually buy Braggs (I think that it the brand) organic apple cider vinegar. It has the “mother lode” in it, which is the bits of apple. The apple cider vinegar you buy in the store has been strained and they say the organic is better. I even have a book written by the Braggs on all the uses for the stuff.
BTW, apple cider vinegar should be used for the body, not white vinegar. It isn’t as good for you, but white is wonderful for cleaning just about anything!
JenB
July 6th, 2009 at
12:25 pm
When I was in college, I got down to a very bony size 4 by taking Metabolife (the good stuff w/ephedra), restricting myself to 700 calories a day, and purging with Ex-Lax (the cancer-causing phenolpthalein kind that’s outlawed in the US now). :tmi:
Yeah…I don’t really recommend that method. It was SUPER effective, but it wrecked my metabolism. In the 7 years since that insanity, I’ve doubled in weight and am only now starting to lose it. I think mostly because I drink nothing but tea and water all day and I eat a big breakfast. I’m also taking an energy formula multivitamin and 5-HTP every day. I haven’t checked the scale and I haven’t gone down a size yet, but my clothes are definitely looser. My bras especially.
I really just need to exercise. Maybe one of these days I’ll get desperate enough to start.
Casey
July 6th, 2009 at
12:26 pm
I’ve tried everything pretty much. Since I was sick with liver problems for about 8-yrs (that ended 3yrs ago), my body and metabolism changed dramatically. I had to do a lot of experimenting to find the right way to eat that didn’t make me feel like s&*t. Mon to Fri I am very regimented in eating and exercise. Wknds not so much and I pay for it.
)
The vinegar diet sounds interesting, but for me vinegar (and sugar) can stimulate the growth of the Candida (?) bacteria. Too much of that can actually screw up the digestive system, cause an overgrowth of yeast in the gut, and actually cause weight gain. But that’s me, not you.
If it works for you, go for it. Just remember to eat right and exercise (easier said than done!
Good luck!
:boob: (I love this smiley! It’s just funny.)
Roberta Harwell
July 6th, 2009 at
12:31 pm
I’ll have to try the vinegar. I don’t have any stories. I just know I need to get off my butt and start exercising. Ever since, I got my computer and started blogging, entering contests, and reviewing books, I’ve been putting on the pounds. I can’t seem to get motivated to go outside. All I want to do is read. LOL Have a great day. Good luck losing the weight. Lose some for me while you are at it. LOL
Shelli
July 6th, 2009 at
12:36 pm
Emmanuelle, hey I’ve heard that works well too! Awesome!
Natasha, I LOVE bacon. I could eat it until I turned into a pig myself. But the eggs and meat. I used to be a vegetarian. I just couldn’t do it!
Melissa, yay! Someone else who’s heard of and even supports the vinegar! It’s so TRUE. I feel like my entire body has been flushed out. It’s awesome! I’ll have to check out the organic!
Jen, OMG! OMG! No no no! Don’t ever do that again. You nearly gave me a heart attack just reading that.
Casey, yeah you’d better skip the vinegar! And yup, doing the eat right and exercising (most of the time!). It’s just the older we get, the harder it seems to come off.
Roberta, oh yeah I hear ya! The first year and a half after I got published I gained 20lbs! I was always on the puter and eating crap.
Amie
July 6th, 2009 at
1:09 pm
I think Apple Cider Vinegar is also supposed to be good for your liver/gall bladder. First thing in the morning before you eat/drink anything.
Um wow. I think I was 8 or 9 the first time mom took me to weight watchers. For that reason I’ve tried to NOT make a huge issue of either of the boys weight.
>>I really just need to exercise. Maybe one of these days I’ll get desperate enough to start.
Yeah that’s like the most Desperate of Measures! :lmao:
I fucking HATE exercise but I feel SO much better when I do–what a catch 22! Of course, I also hate cleaning. I need a cook, a personal trainer and a maid. I need to win the lottery LOL
I did S. Beach and started jogging probably 5 years ago. Felt better but didn’t lose a pound–because!! I was insulin resistant which makes it very hard to lose weight. For health reasons I have to watch what I eat–too much sugar/bread leaves my insides feeling like shit! And if I dont eat my greens i feel like shit *sigh* This getting old sucks!
Amie
July 6th, 2009 at
1:11 pm
Casey I have the same problem with sugar (and bread!) but I didn’t want to say it LOL
BTW for anyone who has that sort of problem, EPO daily works WONDERS!
MB (Leah)
July 6th, 2009 at
2:36 pm
When I was a teen I started smoking and drinking Tab and using saccharine in coffee. Although I wasn’t overweight at all, just felt like it.
My most effective weight loss, but not intentional, in Japan I lived on whiskey, coffee, and ciggys with the occasional rice ball or slab of tofu during the day. I was way too thin though.
In recent years, Calorie counting worked for me for a while.
Metabolife worked really well until I started getting severe heart palpitations.
The last thing that really worked for me was Weight Watchers, which I’m trying to get back on track with. It’s the easiest because I can still have my sugar fixes with it and don’t have to deny myself anything.
I’m with Amie on exercise. I avoid it at all costs unless I have to. But feel like crap for it.
Susan
July 6th, 2009 at
3:59 pm
I never went for the fad diets. Instead I used to skip breakfast, have a low fat yogurt for lunch and small portions of whatever dinner was. I lost weight but lost my energy too. It was such a dumb idea! :doh:
Johnny Peregrine
July 6th, 2009 at
4:41 pm
Two diets work the best for me. Weight Watchers and Atkins.
Unlike a lot of people I tend to eat very very healthy on the Atkins. I eat lots of green leafy stuff and make sure I get fiber. I also tend to stay with the leaner healthier meats and eat stuff like bacon (mmmmmm baconnn) sparingly. Chicken breasts,venison, fish, lean beef and pork are the way to go for me. I lose the most weight and also lift a bunch when on Atkins. The trouble is when I fall off the wagon I like eat thirty seven cakes etc lol. Not because I missed them per se, it’s just that when I am bad, I am very very bad.
If you haven’t tried Weight Watchers, you may want to give it a shot. It is all about portion control. I just hated that at meetings everyone sat around and talked about food!
Chrissy
July 6th, 2009 at
5:02 pm
I lost 150 pounds, then just stopped. It was a combo of being sick, eating better, and remaining as active as possible.
Just this month I started losing again. My docs want me to have surgery to remove the excess belly flap (elaborate tummy tuck, really) but I need to drop another 50 to 75 pounds.
Lost 30 this month, so maybe? I hope so. I look awful with the apron of leftover me-age.
Jennifer Colgan
July 6th, 2009 at
5:32 pm
I’ve done Slim Fast and those shakes get old really quick. I’ve done the calorie and fat gram counting which worked a little but, but best luck I’ve had has been with the Ultra-Metabolism diet. That stresses ‘fresh whole food’ – no packaged stuff, lots of fruits and vegetables, just plain healthy eating. I kicked my soda habit and went with lots of green tea or lemon water instead and I dropped 16 pounds. My nemesis is chocolate, though. I can’t turn down a brownie or a cookie to save my life. My husband and I have started walking again, 20-30 minutes every morning. I feel like the best I can do is eat as healthy as I can and exercise to the best of my ability. The fad diets just make me fatter.
Riley Quinn
July 6th, 2009 at
5:51 pm
I think I’ve tried just about everything over the years. The best I ever did was following The Fit or Fat Diet (I think) by Covert Bailey. I was also doing aerobics 5x a week and weight training 3x a week. I think I lost about 30 pounds in 3 months. Not really sure what made me stop, but there you go.
Recently I’ve heard some good things about the Insulin Resistance Diet. Apparently if you eat protein (and the right kinds) with your good carbs, it allows you to lose weight. I’m heading for the States for 3 weeks so I’ll be looking into this more when I get back home. I’ll have to check out the vinegar thing too.
Shelli
July 6th, 2009 at
6:07 pm
Leah & Johnny, yeah Weight Watchers is great! I’ve done it! But I have my own eating system so I found I was just paying for the support group. And I have that online
Susan, skipping meals or mini meals or severe calorie cutting just starves us. Our bodies go into protest mode.
Chrissy, that’s amazing! Keep us posted how it goes!
Jennifer, I totally got sick of the slim fast.
Riley, those both sound interesting!
Michele
July 6th, 2009 at
6:56 pm
The worst thing I tried was the cabbage soup diet. I lost a few pounds but I also lost my mind. The restrictions on the diet turned me into a raving lunatic who went off without warning. I won’t do that again. Now I’m doing P90x and it is kicking my booty. I refuse to step on a scale for an entire week. We’ll see how it works.
Mari
July 6th, 2009 at
7:30 pm
My BFF is on the hcg diet. Hcg is an injectible formula—I am too squeamish but it seems to work for her. Uggh I hate needles!
Kate Pearce
July 6th, 2009 at
8:25 pm
I did the Fat Flush plan for 3 weeks after my youngest was born because I couldn’t lose the baby weight and I was getting on a bit LOL
I lost 22 pounds in 3 weeks but I was VERY ANGRY the whole time and my whole family were terrified of me. They asked me never to do it again :nener:
Laurie
July 6th, 2009 at
10:24 pm
I did the slimfast in highschool, but what they don’t tell you is that it lowers your immune system because you’re not getting all the nutrients you need. I caught a viral infection that had me so sick I was off school for 3 weeks. I missed all my final exams for that semester. Never going near that stuff again.
I’ve tried them all – Atkins, SouthBeach, WW, Carb Addicts, this odd three-day on four-day off diet where you ate hardly anything on, and then whatever you wanted on the four days, even the needles and a 800-calorie a day diet. I had the most success on the 800 calorie diet, but I couldn’t maintain it because it wasn’t enough food, so I gained a lot of it back once I started eating normally again.
I’m learning that it’s really just a matter of completely relearning how to eat more healthily and getting regular exercise. So I’m working at eliminating the daily giant bowl of ice cream and instead going for a long walk with the dog. :doglick:
Shelli
July 6th, 2009 at
10:32 pm
Michele, I don’t know how anyone could do that cabbage soup diet! Kudos to you for trying!
Mari, yikes, I don’t think I could do the injections!
Kate, lmao! You just made me laugh!
Laurie, it’s so true, you can do the starvation or the tiny portions, but once you go back to normal… you just gotta redefine normal. The dog walk is an excellent idea!
Armenia
July 7th, 2009 at
12:21 am
I started ballroom dancing back in September. I kid you not, I have lot 15 pounds! :bounce:
I have dieted so many times and jazzercied, and walked till my knees were wobbly. But damn, its so much more fun, and motivating. I snack before group class so I don’t feel heavy and weighed down, and then I find later (after 3 hrs of classes) I am not all that hungry. :woot:
Jenna Bayley-Burke
July 7th, 2009 at
12:58 am
It’s easier to list the diets I haven’t tried.
I had great luck with Dr. Phil, but then I got very ill and exercise was impossible, food choices minimal. It all came back – even thought it was supposedly baby weight I was losing.
I think food choices are more important than anything for weightloss – exercise keeps your endorphins up so you don’t kill anyone :diebastard:
Feisty
July 7th, 2009 at
3:12 pm
I had to conclude diets were evil. However, a spoonful of vinegar never hurt anyone, right?
Caffey
July 11th, 2009 at
8:46 pm
Huge congrats on the weigh lost Shelli!
I drink lots and that fills me up! I go with the Crystal Light, strawberry. Its refreshing and not a feel of drinking Kool-Aid but the feel of drinking a light refreshing drink. It takes care of my craves! I keep it here all the time and buy a special bottle for it, and keep it filled all the time. You can buy bottled water and keep it cold in the fridge and add the individual Crystal Light to it (I think this flavor only comes in the individual, but that’s better to make one at a time!)