Wed, Mar-24-04, 14:37
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There and Back Again
Posts: 1,590
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Plan: Atkins
Stats: 200/194.4/140
BF:42%/42%/20%
Progress: 9%
Location: Northern Colorado
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MSNBC's Diet Challenge - Results
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4488471/
Keeping it off
Checking in with Dateline diet challege participants, three months after high school reunion
Dateline NBC
By John Larson
Updated: 11:38 a.m. ET March 17, 2004By the time they reached their 25th high school reunion, the hard work had been already been done. In nine months they all had lost a boatload of weight. At their reunion last October, their classmates raved at our dieters' new look. But the question on many minds is, could they keep it off?
A dizzying array of diets is available today, but which ones really work? "Dateline" tested six popular diets using healthy volunteers, all of whom were at least 30 pounds overweight. Above are the diet options the volunteers tried.
The Weight Watchers diet uses a "points" system to limit food intake. Under the plan, all foods are assigned a numerical value depending on the amount of calories, fat and fiber. Dieters are given a daily range of points and allowed to eat whatever they want so long as they stick within the range. Points are also assigned to physical activity, and dieters are encouraged to exercise. There is no requirement to purchase special foods, but dieters are given suggestions for what to eat. They are also encouraged to regularly attend a support group to discuss their progress.
The Slim Fast plan requires dieters to eat a mixture of Slim Fast products and foods prepared at home. Under the diet, participants eat one Slim Fast shake or meal bar for breakfast and for lunch. They are then allowed to eat a "sensible dinner" plus three low-calorie snacks. The plan advises people to carefully count calories, watch portion sizes and get at least 30 minutes of exercise each day. Slim Fast offers participants free membership to its Web site for access to meal plans and other weight-loss information.
The Atkins diet was created by the late Dr. Robert C. Atkins, founder and medical director of the Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine in New York. The high-protein, low-carbohydrate plan encourages dieters to avoid sugary foods, breads, pasta, cereal and starchy vegetables. Instead, they are told to eat meat, fish, cheese, nuts, eggs, low-starch vegetables and fruit. While some Atkins dieters eat fewer calories than before, Atkins said the diet works because people have fewer food cravings, generally feel fuller and are eating less- processed, more nutritious food.
Extreme exercise programs are modeled after military boot camps and involve long, often grueling workouts to lose weight and achieve optimum fitness levels. Evolution Sports Science, a performance training company in Massachusetts, offers various extreme exercise programs for interested clients, many of whom work in high-pressure professional careers. ESS aims to develop their clients' physical and mental abilities using personalized plans, coaches, fitness testing and training. Lynn's diet was devised by nutritionist and exercise physiologist Felicia Stoler, based on USDA food pyramid diet.
Advocates of hypnotism say the practice can help people lose weight by allowing them to break out of old routines. By imprinting new patterns on the subconscious mind through hypnotism, dieters can develop healthy habits such as eating better and getting regular exercise, according to Dr. Tom Nicoli, who runs A Better You Hypnosis Center near Boston.
To contact Dr. Nicoli in Woburn, Mass., e-mail: ABetterYou~prosperusa.com or go to his Web site: http://www.prosperusa.com
Jorge Cruise is diet coach who offers a three-step weight loss program online. The plan requires participants to first make a decision to lose weight, then follow a daily exercise routine to build muscle mass, and finally to include more omega fats in their diet to help decrease appetite. The diet is based on the theory that muscle mass helps control the body’s metabolism and that, with an increase in the amount of muscle tissue, more fat will be burned throughout the day whether a person is exercising or not. Visit Jorge Cruise's Web site: http://www.jorgecruise.com
John Larson: "How many of you think this change will essentially be permanent?"
Everybody thought so, except one: Rick Burnes, our high school football touch guy who went from 328 to 220, losing a 108 pounds on the Atkins diet.
Rick Burnes: "I don't know, I just had the attitude of just, you know, let's do the challenge, see what happens."
So what happened? Rick planned to take a little time off and then return to his diet, but...
Rick Burnes: "That went a little longer than a little time off."
He started gaining weight almost immediately. By the end of the football season he'd put on 24 pounds.
Rick Burnes: "I blame that on the Patriots."
After all that hard work, Rick was now up to 244. But that's not so unusual according to experts.
Lisa Sanders: "Most dieters, fail in this part, not in the weight loss part."
Dr. Lisa Sanders specializes in obesity at Yale University and is the author of "The Perfect Fit Diet." She believes keeping weight off is much more complex than just losing weight.
Lisa Sanders: "It's the difference between dating and marriage. When you think about a diet as aberration, then you're looking for the motorcycle, tattooed guy that's going to be fun to be around. But you're not thinking long term. You have to think of a diet as a long term relationship between you and your body."
Recent national research is discouraging, showing that nine out of 10 people who successfully lose weight gain it all back within a year. Our dieters did great losing weight with their high school reunion approaching and Dateline's camera's watching. But that was then. This next year may be the most telling of their lives.
Who of our six will best unlock the secrets to long term weight loss?
Marc Merlis, a ladies man back in high school, went from 245 to 210. He lost 35 pounds on hypnosis. When we last left the Merlis family, things couldn't have been better.
Cheryl Merlis: "We had a phenomenal year."
But within a few weeks, Marc had stopped going to the hypnotist, stopped exercising and started overeating.
Cheryl Merlis: "Once he starts –"
Marc Merlis: "I can't stop."
Cheryl Merlis: "He can't stop."
Marc Merlis: "I don't know if you call that binging."
In just three months, he gained back 20 pounds. It's left the Merlises frustrated and depressed.
Marc Merlis: "I think with me, it's going to be a struggle."
Lisa Sanders: "It's hard to change. It's hard to replace very old, deeply engrained habits."
Dr. Sanders says it often takes successful dieters two to three years to change behavior
Lisa Sanders: "Relapse is part of every improvement. You know, we all try to be our best selves. And we have to admit that much of the time we fail to be our best self. But, we have to keep trying and that's the important part."
Next, Mark Giordani, the gifted athlete suffering from a back injury, started at 230 and dropped to 210. He lost 20 pounds on Slimfast. Gio, as he was called, was the first to admit he couldn't wait for the diet challenge to end.
Gio: "I'm going to IHOP tomorrow, and I'm getting the whole left side of the menu."
John Larson: "What did you think when you heard that?"
Lisa Sanders: "I said, well, it's over for him. You know, he did what he had to do for the period of time he had to do it, and now he's going back to his old way. "
Gio: "I did end up going back to McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, PapaGinos."
And the little exercise he could do has all but disappeared.
Gio: "Once the cold weather came, my back's getting worse by the day. I just stopped walking."
After three months, he'd put on 13 pounds. But Gio says his on going back problems are his biggest concern.
Gio: "I'm upset about the situation I'm in. I'm upset that I can't go to the gym and work out, I'm upset I can't go to work."
Then there's class secretary Lynn Frank, mother of seven. Lynn began at 174 and dropped to 139. She lost 35 pounds by training for and running a marathon. Lynn is still running, but there have been some problems. First it was the 16 parties she went to over Christmas where she thought she was eating sensibly.
Lynn Frank: "I really watched what I ate while I was at these different things. And I started to really gain the weight. And that made me really frustrated."
And she cut back on her exercise, running only 16 miles a week, a third of what she ran while training for the marathon. The bottom line was that our marathoner had gained eight pounds.
Lynn Frank: "Am I beating myself up about it? No. Because I'm still eating properly, I'm exercising and I'm still a pretty healthy person."
Former high school homecoming queen Kathy Wynters never let us weigh her, but WeightWatchers confirmed she lost 40 pounds. After the diet challenge, Kathy took a break.
Kathy Wynters: "I didn't go to Weightwatchers I didn't go to Curves."
And she gave herself some long awaited treats.
Kathy Wynters: "The desserts and the chocolates. I had them, I wanted them and I had them."
And she began putting on weight, but she quickly returned to WeightWatchers and turned things around. Three months after the reunion, Kathy had only gained three pounds.
And finally, there's our math club president Eleanor Talbot. Eleanor went from 300 to 240. She dropped 60 pounds with weight loss coach Jorge Cruise. How's Eleanor doing?
Eleanor Talbot: "I definitely did have a slow down there and then the holidays came, but I still managed to take off 10 pounds since the reunion."
That's right, Eleanor is the only one of our six dieters to continue to lose weight. In fact her weight loss coach is so proud of her he's put Eleanor's story in his latest book. And Eleanor hasn't missed a day logging onto Jorge Cruise's website for continued inspiration
Eleanor Talbot: "It's like he's in the room. It's so cool."
And she's kept up with all her e-mail friends and supporters who've given her the strength to keep going.
Eleanor Talbot: "Everybody who's contacted me, it feels like a big huge hug and they're hugging me all the time."
Lisa Sanders: "I think that it was not a person watching her that wasn't in her corner, who wasn't rooting for her."
But it's still early. The real test for Eleanor and the others will be over time
John Larson: "How much of their success will likely be a matter of will power?"
Lisa Sanders: "It's not a matter of will power, biology is going to overcome will power every time. Your brain is attached to your body and your body has to eat."
John Larson: "But, clearly, you’ve got to make decisions, you’ve got to have some stick-to-itiveness."
Lisa Sanders: "Keeping it off is a hundred decisions a day that help you maintain what you achieved. And that's the hard part."
Sanders believes our dieters success will depend on who will consistently make good decisions, and who can figure out what works best for them over time.
Lisa Sanders: "Successful dieters always say, I started with this system or that system, but finally I did it my way. Because that's the only way to do it. It's your life. It's your diet. It's what you're going to have to live with every single day. It has to be right for you."
And here's some good news. Almost all of our dieters say they're now are back on track. Rick has returned to the Atkins diet, and most have set new goals for themselves. Even Marc Merlis has recently lost five pounds.
© 2004 MSNBC Interactive
================================
A year ago, Dateline met six members of the class of 1978, all wanting to shed pounds before their 25th high school reunion this past fall. Each was given a radically different weight loss plan. Which diet was most effective? Read their personal diet diaries for a better idea of life during the Ultimate Diet Challenge.
Mark Giordani - Slimfast Diet
Goal: 30 pounds
Lost: 20 pounds
Notes: Six daily eating occasions
Breakfast meals:
SlimFast shake first, an hour later one egg and one slice of low fat whole grain toast, sometimes just the shake.
Lunch meals:
SlimFast shake first, then one or two hours later, veggie burger on a whole wheat English muffin, sometimes a small salad or tuna with low fat miracle whip on diet whole grain bread
Dinner meal (one of the following):
Baked fish with spinach and a small salad
Chicken with baked sweet potato and broccoli
Grilled or baked pork with asparagus and a small salad
Steak (6 oz) with green beans, a small salad or sweet potato
Baked eggplant with low fat mozzarella cheese, and a
Snacks:
Low fat pretzels, low fat popcorn, SlimFast snack bars, SlimFast ice cream sandwiches, fruit and raw vegetables.
Rick Burnes - Atkins Diet
Goal: 150 pounds
Lost: 108 pounds
Notes: When noting peanuts, there are usually a few ounces of pistachios or cashews. Also meal times are not typical because Rick works the night shift. He uses 'Ken's creamy Caesar' salad dressing, which has no carbs.
Day one
Breakfast: Atkins pancakes and coffee
Lunch: Salad with tuna, chicken and peanuts
Dinner: Three eggs with pepperoni, cheese and coffee
Day two
Breakfast: Atkins shake
Lunch: Three cheeseburgers with Atkins steak sauce
Dinner: Three 'Wendy's Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers,' no ketchup, no buns
Day three
Breakfast: Four eggs with cheese and peanuts
Lunch: Steak
Dinner: Five cheeseburgers with lettuce and tomato
Day four
Breakfast: Coffee
Lunch: Approximately 20 chicken wings
Dinner: 'Wendy's Chicken BLT' with salad and a block of sharp cheese
Day five
Breakfast: Three eggs and cheese omelets with peanuts
Lunch: Approximately three pork chops with salad
Dinner: Two bacon cheeseburgers
Day six
Breakfast: Ham and cheese roll-ups with peanuts
Lunch: Atkins shake and five beers
Dinner: Two cheeseburgers, steak and salad
Day seven
Breakfast: Bacon and eggs
Lunch: Peanuts
Dinner: Chicken, sausage and broccoli (cookout)
Eleanor Talbot - Jorge Cruise
Goal: 70 pounds
Lost: 60 pounds
Note: Eat either a meal or a snack every three hours, along with 8–16 ounce glasses of water throughout the day. Also, made sure that she has about one tablespoon of fat at each meal (flaxseed oil, olive oil, butter, salad dressing, even peanut butter). Also can have unlimited herbal tea, or two cups of regular tea a day. Recommends she not eat three hours before she goes to bed.
Day one
Breakfast: 3/4 cup of Uncle Sam cereal, 3/4 cup of skim milk, Splenda sweetener and 1/4 slice cantaloupe
Snack: 12 apple cinnamon mini rice cakes
Lunch: Cup of minestrone soup, salad with low fat zinfandel vinaigrette dressing
Snack: Low fat chocolate chip granola bar
Dinner: Chicken teriyaki, white rice and mixed vegetables
Treat: Chocolate graham cracker
Day two:
Breakfast: Two soft boiled eggs, wheat toast with olive oil spread, skim milk, and 1/4 slice cantaloupe
Snack: Wheat crackers with low fat cottage cheese
Lunch: Cheese ravioli, salad with fat free salad dressing and flaxseed oil
Snack: 12 caramel mini rice cakes
Dinner: Steak, noodles, salad and corn on the cob
Treat: Fat free chocolate pudding cup
Day three:
Breakfast: 3/4 cup Uncle Sam cereal, 3/4 cup skim milk, flax oil and grapes
Snack: Slice of pita bread with apple butter
Lunch: Salad with low fat salad dressing, cottage cheese and pita bread
Snack: Low fat granola bar
Dinner: Grilled chicken, baked potato, salad with fat free dressing and butter
Treat: Fat free chocolate pudding cup
Day four
Breakfast: Two eggs, small summer squash, small tomato (slice squash and tomato, saut?ummer squash and tomato together with spices like parsley, basil and rosemary with Pam in fry pan, mix in eggs with a little skim milk, and cook like scrambled eggs); wheat toast with olive oil spread
Snack: Low fat granola bar
Lunch: Healthy Choice chicken with mashed potatoes and salad with low fat dressing
Snack: Fat free caramel yogurt
Dinner: Salad, peanut butter and jelly sandwich on wheat bread
Treat: Six caramel rice cakes
Day five
Breakfast: Myoplex meal replacement shake (chocolate cream) and flax oil
Snack: 12 apple cinnamon mini rice cakes
Lunch: Two small soft tacos with extra lettuce
Snack: Cup of chicken rice soup
Dinner: Baked scrod, baked potato, salad and mixed vegetables (broccoli, carrots, cauliflower)
Treat: Small slice chocolate cake
Day six
Breakfast: 3/4 cup Uncle Sam cereal, flax oil, skim milk and 1/4 banana
Snack: Microwave popcorn (low fat)
Lunch: Lean Cuisine lasagna and salad with low fat dressing
Snack: 12 caramel mini rice cakes
Dinner: Chili, salad and 12 tortilla chips
Treat: Fat free chocolate pudding cup
Day seven
Breakfast: Myoplex meal replacement shake (chocolate cream) and flax oil
Snack: 12 apple cinnamon mini rice cakes
Lunch: Cup of beef vegetable soup and salad with fat free dressing
Snack: Low fat granola bar
Dinner: Shepherd's pie (beef, mashed potato, corn), salad and steamed broccoli
Treat: Fat free chocolate pudding cup
Marc Merlis - Hypnotist and excercise
Goal: 50 pounds
Lost: 35 pounds
Note: Eating times are such because Marc gets to work before dawn. It is hard to be creative and have something prepared at 4am, so he stays the same every day, as with 7:30am. His advice to all who are interested, is that the first bit of food to be consumed should be something that is already prepared and ready to take on the go. At 3pm Marc is always on the go, so those meals stay the same.
Day one
4am: Nutrigrain bar, banana and water
7:30am: Bagel with peanut butter, water and coffee
10am: Carrot sticks and water
1pm: Tuna over lettuce with light mayo, orange, water or diet soda (Diet soda has been a craving of Marc's since he has been on the diet)
3pm: Celery sticks, carrot sticks and salsa
5:30pm: 8oz of chicken, grilled asparagus and brown rice
8pm: More celery and carrots with salsa
Day two
4am: same
7:30am: same
10am: One cup of pretzels with water and or coffee
1pm: Roast turkey sandwich on pita bread with mixed greens and mustard, and soda
3pm: same
5:30pm: 8-10 oz of fresh fish, steamed broccoli and spinach
8pm: More celery, carrots and salsa
Day three
4am: same
7:30am: same
10am: One cup of pretzels with water and or coffee
1pm: Black bean burger with salsa, lettuce and tomato, water and diet soda
3pm: same
5:30pm: 8 chicken, asparagus, and mixed baby green salad
8pm: If he had a good week we would go for a soft serve ice cream
Day four
4am: same
7:30am: same
10am: One Carrot sticks and water
1pm: Grilled chicken wrap with roasted peppers, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes and my balsamic dressing
3pm: same
5:30pm: 8oz of chicken, grilled asparagus and brown rice
8pm: More celery and carrots with salsa
Day five
4am: same
7:30am: same
10am: One cup of pretzels with water and or coffee
1pm: Roast turkey sandwich on pita bread with mixed greens and mustard, and soda
3pm: same
5:30pm: 6 oz. steak, fresh gilled Portobello mushroom and grilled eggplant
8pm: More celery, carrots and salsa
Day six
4am: same
7:30am: same
10am: One cup of pretzels with water and or coffee
1pm: Black bean burger with salsa, lettuce and tomato, water and diet soda
3pm: same
5:30pm: 8 chicken, asparagus, and mixed baby green salad
8pm: If he had a good week we would go for a soft serve ice cream
Day seven
A slightly liberal day, with things like pasta, meatballs and sausage. If he was good 80 percent of the week, he would cheat on the weekends -- and he did. He also had brushetta regularly (it is his wife's custom made), on salads, meats, and he would even reach into the fridge and eat spoonfuls. She is a caterer and excellent cook.
Lynn Frank - Marathon training
Lynn's diet was devised by nutritionist and exercise physiologist Felicia Stoler, based on USDA food pyramid diet.
Goal: 35 pounds
Lost: 35 pounds
Notes: One of the things Lynn wants to stress in her diet is the amount of water she drinks daily: 70oz. She mixes up menus all the time, but always has six breads, 2-3oz of meat, three vegetables, two fruit and two dairy. She is now exercising five days a week. She runs six miles three times a week and does strength training the other two.
Day one
Breakfast: Bowl of Cheerios with skim milk
Lunch: Chicken and pasta dish with peas(leftovers)
Snack: Handful of animal crackers
Dinner: Fish, rice and vegetables
Dessert: Two fruit
Day two
Breakfast: Shredded wheat
Lunch: Lean ham and cheese on rye with mustard and an apple
Snack: Yogurt
Dinner: Roast beef with mashed potatoes and peas
Dessert: Slice of chocolate cake
Day three
Breakfast: One package of instant oatmeal and a banana
Lunch: Two slices of grain bread with lettuce, tomato and turkey, and a glass of skim milk
Snack: One fruit and handful of cashews or string cheese
Dinner: Chicken (about the size of fist) brown, pilaf rice or baked potato and two vegetables
Day four
Breakfast: Two eggs and one slice of toast buttered
Lunch: Peanut butter and jelly on two slices of wheat bread
Snack: Fruit
Dinner: Honey mustard chicken, brown rice and two vegetables
Dessert: Sliced peaches
Day five
Breakfast: Rice Krispies and skim milk
Lunch: One slice of quiche lorraine and salad
Snack: Handful of cashews
Dinner: Small bowl of pasta and marinara sauce, salad
Dessert: Fruit cup
Day six
Breakfast: Cream of wheat and an orange
Lunch: Turkey sandwich on wheat with lettuce and non-fat mayonnaise
Snack: Apple with peanut butter
Dinner: Slice of pizza and salad
Dessert: Frozen yogurt
Day seven
Breakfast: Instant oatmeal
Lunch: Clam chowder and crackers
Snack: Stoneyfield low-fat yogurt (chocolate underground)
Dinner: Chicken marsala with rice pilaf and carrots
Dessert: Brownie
Kathy Wynters - Weight Watchers
Goal: 40 pounds
Lost: 40 pounds
Note: She eats 20-22 "points" per day All food is given a points value with Weight Watchers membership. She drinks at least eight bottles of water per day. She works out (aerobic and strength training) four times a week for at least 30 minutes each session and tries to walk-run five miles at the local track three times per week.
Day one
Breakfast: Breakfast bar and black decaf coffee
Snack: Water and Weight Watchers bar
Lunch: Chicken cutlet, apple and water
Dinner: One cup of whole wheat pasta, chicken with free mozzarella and red sauce
Snack: Coffee and piece of cake
Day two
Breakfast: 1/2 cup Special K cereal with 1/2 cup skim milk, 1 packet of Equal and black decaf coffee
Snack: Water and grapes
Lunch: Hamburger with fat free cheese, whole wheat bun, lettuce and tomato, and iced tea
Dinner: Three steamed Peking dumplings,
Snack: Water, 1/2 cup sugar free, reduced fat chocolate ice cream, and decaf coffee
Day three
Breakfast: Colombo Fat Free 'Mixed Berry' yogurt, black decaf coffee, and light toast with Smart Balance spread
Snack: Fruit
Lunch: 1/2 'Smart Ones' frozen chicken and broccoli pizza, and water
Dinner: BBQ chicken breast, couscous, green beans, and salad with fat free dressing
Snack: Strawberries fat free cool whip
Day four
Breakfast: One banana, black decaf coffee, and breakfast bar
Snack: 15 chocolate graham cracker sticks and water
Lunch: 'Smart Ones' peppercorn filet frozen dinner
Dinner: Usually out to dinner with kids -- grilled chicken, fish or beef, dry salads (bring own fat free dressing)
Day five
Breakfast: EggBeaters omelet with red peppers, mushrooms, onions and fat free shredded cheese, light toast with 'Smart
Balance' spread, and black decaf coffee
Snack: None
Lunch: Tuna fish with fat free mayo, celery and onion, two slices light wheat toast, lettuce, diet coke, and baked chips
Dinner: Usually a function or out to dinner
Extras: Two glasses of wine (one before and one with dinner)
Day six
Breakfast: Two blueberry pancakes (made with Reduced Fat Bisquick), sugar free syrup, and black decaf coffee
Snack: None
Late lunch/Early Dinner: Roast or turkey, baked potatoes, vegetable, salad with fat free dressing
Snack: Water, 1/2 cup sugar free, reduced fat ice cream
Day seven
Breakfast: 1/2 cup Special K cereal with 1/2 cup skim milk, one packet of Equal, and black decaf coffee
Snack: Cut watermelon chunks
Lunch: Tomato sandwich with fat free mayo on whole wheat pita
Dinner: Caesar salad with grilled chicken breast, fat free dressing, and fat free croutons
Snack: None
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