Diet Face Off!

Diet Face Off 2 Results - 169.7 lbs lost in 9 weeks!!

Posted by susysez | October 6, 2009 | 0 Comments

It has been 9 weeks of Dieting and the Challenge has come to an end. The Participants lost a combined total of 169.7 lbs in 9 weeks!
Below find the rating scale that the participants used along with the scale used by nutritionists Thomas Roe and Whitney Barns.

The participants answered these questions about their respective diets:

1. What is the likelihood that you would continue this diet.

A- I will definitely stay on the diet,

B- I will return to this diet when I need to lose weight

C- I may do this diet again

D- Probably not likely

F- I would never do this diet again

2. How would you rate the difficulty of the diet? Were you hungry often? Was the food terrible?

A- The diet was extremely easy to maintain

B- The diet was fairly easy to maintain, I slipped up now and again

C- The diet was difficult at times, I had some trouble following it

D- I slipped up a lot on the diet

F---It was extremely difficult

3. How cost effective was this diet?

A- It wasn't expensive to maintain the diet

B- There were a few instances that I spent more than usual on food for this diet

C- There were major items in this diet that were expensive

D- I wouldn't be able to afford this diet over an extended period

F---This diet was too expensive for me

4. How would you rate your overall health? Energy level, quality of life?

A- I felt amazing on this diet! I had tons of energy

B- I felt normal on the diet

C- I was sometimes tired, sluggish, hungry

D- I was often tired, sluggish, hungry

F--- I had no energy, I felt sick

5. How likely are you to recommend this diet to a friend?

A- I would recommend this diet to all my friends with 100% confidence

B- I would recommend this diet to friends, in general, most people could do the diet successfully

C- I would recommend it to certain people, but it's not for everyone

D- I wouldn't recommend it to very many people

F---I would NEVER recommend this diet

The nutritionists graded their diet based on the scale below:

1.       What is the likelihood that you would continue this diet.
A-     I will definitely stay on the diet,
B-      I will return to this diet when I need to lose weight
C-      I may do this diet again
D-     Probably not likely
F-      I would never do this diet again

2.       How would you rate the difficulty of the diet? Were you hungry often? Was the food terrible?
A-     The diet was extremely easy to maintain
B-      The diet was fairly easy to maintain, I slipped up now and again
C-      The diet was difficult at times, I had some trouble following it
D-     I slipped up a lot on the diet
F---It was extremely difficult

3.       How cost effective was this diet?
A-     It wasn't expensive to maintain the diet
B-      There were a few instances that I spent more than usual on food for this diet
C-      There were major items in this diet that were expensive
D-     I wouldn't be able to afford this diet over an extended period
F---This diet was too expensive for me

4.       How would you rate your overall health? Energy level, quality of life?
A-     I felt amazing on this diet! I had tons of energy
B-      I felt normal on the diet
C-      I was sometimes tired, sluggish, hungry
D-     I was often tired, sluggish, hungry
F--- I had no energy, I felt sick

5.       How likely are you to recommend this diet to a friend?
A-     I would recommend this diet to all my friends with 100% confidence
B-      I would recommend this diet to friends, in general, most people could do the diet successfully
C-      I would recommend it to certain people, but it's not for everyone
D-     I wouldn't recommend it to very many people
F---I would NEVER recommend this diet

All of the Participants agree that they have learned about portion control, using a hunger scale to determine their hunger level and most of all being accountable. Both of the diets received very high grades. They both teach healthy eating habits which can clearly be the foundation for a healthier lifestyle in the future. Overall Diet Face Off 2 was a great success!

Stay tuned for our next Diet Face Off !

read more

The Best Life Diet Results

Posted by Krisserin | October 5, 2009 | 2 Comments

Seth
Total Weight Lost: 22 Pounds

Read Seth's final blog

Seth's grades:

1.         What is the likelihood that you would continue this diet.
A-         I will definitely stay on the diet,

2.         How would you rate the difficulty of the diet? Were you hungry often? Was the food terrible?
B-         The diet was fairly easy to maintain, I slipped up now and again

3. How cost effective was this diet?
A- It wasn't expensive to maintain the diet

4. How would you rate your overall health? Energy level, quality of life?
A- I felt amazing on this diet! I had tons of energy

5. How likely are you to recommend this diet to a friend?
A- I would recommend this diet to all my friends with 100% confidence

Total Points = 19

Whitney's Grades:

1. Percentage of weight lost by contestant
A- 10 percent

2. Overall "healthiness" of plan
B- Limited or excluded some foods

3. Ease of plan
C- Easy to follow when eating at home and preparing your own meals, but difficult to eat out

4. Happiness of contestant on the plan
B- Pretty happy and optimistic

5. Likelihood that this plan can become a lifestyle
B- Probably, but may need to make some sacrifices

Total Points = 15

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Renee
Total Weight Lost: 18 Pounds

Watch Renee's final video blog.

1. What is the likelihood that you would continue this diet.
A- I will definitely stay on the diet,

2. How would you rate the difficulty of the diet? Were you hungry often? Was the food terrible?
B- The diet was fairly easy to maintain, I slipped up now and again

3. How cost effective was this diet?
A- It wasn't expensive to maintain the diet

4. How would you rate your overall health? Energy level, quality of life?
B- I felt normal on the diet

5. How likely are you to recommend this diet to a friend?
A- I would recommend this diet to all my friends with 100% confidence

Total Points = 18

Whitney's grades

1. Percentage of weight lost by contestant
A- 8 percent

2. Overall "healthiness" of plan
B- Limited or excluded some foods

3. Ease of plan
C- Easy to follow when eating at home and preparing your own meals, but difficult to eat out

4. Happiness of contestant on the plan
B- Pretty happy and optimistic

5. Likelihood that this plan can become a lifestyle
B- Probably, but may need to make some sacrifices

Total Points = 15

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Megan
Total Weight Lost: 8.4 Pounds

Watch Megan's final video blog.

Megan's Grades:

1. What is the likelihood that you would continue this diet.
A- I will definitely stay on the diet,

2. How would you rate the difficulty of the diet? Were you hungry often? Was the food terrible?
B- The diet was fairly easy to maintain, I slipped up now and again

3. How cost effective was this diet?
B- There were a few instances that I spent more than usual on food for this diet

4. How would you rate your overall health? Energy level, quality of life?
A- I felt amazing on this diet! I had tons of energy

5. How likely are you to recommend this diet to a friend?
A- I would recommend this diet to friends, in general, most people could do the diet

Total Points = 18

Whitney's grades

1. Percentage of weight lost by contestant
C- 4 percent

2. Overall "healthiness" of plan
B- Limited or excluded some foods

3. Ease of plan
C- Easy to follow when eating at home and preparing your own meals, but difficult to eat out

4. Happiness of contestant on the plan
B- Pretty happy and optimistic

5. Likelihood that this plan can become a lifestyle
B- Probably, but may need to make some sacrifices

Total Points = 14

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Kai
Total Weight Lost: 12.1

Watch Kai's final video blog.

Kai's Grades:

1. What is the likelihood that you would continue this diet.
A- I will definitely stay on the diet,

2. How would you rate the difficulty of the diet? Were you hungry often? Was the food terrible?
A- The diet was extremely easy to maintain

3. How cost effective was this diet?
A- It wasn't expensive to maintain the diet

4. How would you rate your overall health? Energy level, quality of life?
A- I felt amazing on this diet! I had tons of energy

5. How likely are you to recommend this diet to a friend?
A- I would recommend this diet to all my friends with 100% confidence

Total Points = 20

Whitney's grades

1. Percentage of weight lost by contestant
A- 9 percent

2. Overall "healthiness" of plan
B- Limited or excluded some foods

3. Ease of plan
C- Easy to follow when eating at home and preparing your own meals, but difficult to eat out

4. Happiness of contestant on the plan
B- Pretty happy and optimistic

5. Likelihood that this plan can become a lifestyle
B- Probably, but may need to make some sacrifices

Total Points = 15

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Carolyn
Total Weight Lost:

Watch Carolyn's final video blog.

Carolyn's Grades:

1. What is the likelihood that you would continue this diet.
A- I will definitely stay on the diet to lose the last 35 pounds I have to lose, and will most likely incorporate this diet into the rest of my life

2. How would you rate the difficulty of the diet? Were you hungry often? Was the food terrible?
A- The diet was extremely easy to maintain: I'd give it an A minus, because although it was fairly easy for me, there were foods we were asked to give up that may be hard for some people - although, the pay off is totally worth it! I was not hungry except when I was supposed to be.

3. How cost effective was this diet?
B- There were a few instances that I spent more than usual on food for this diet.

Examples of this are whole wheat bread (although you can find cheap bread, too), some foods that have no partially hydrogenated oils, and some snacks that are more expensive than, say, chips.

4. How would you rate your overall health? Energy level, quality of life?
A- I felt amazing on this diet! I had tons of energy- especially when I was consistent about eating snacks and exercising!

5. How likely are you to recommend this diet to a friend?
A- I would recommend this diet to all my friends with 100% confidence- and have already many times!

This diet would be especially helpful to someone who really wants to modify their eating habits to be more healthy. It's a gentle, gradual change to more healthful foods.

Total Points = 19

Whitney's grades

1. Percentage of weight lost by contestant
A- 6 percen

2. Overall "healthiness" of plan
B- Limited or excluded some foods

3. Ease of plan
C- Easy to follow when eating at home and preparing your own meals, but difficult to eat out

4. Happiness of contestant on the plan
B- Pretty happy and optimistic

5. Likelihood that this plan can become a lifestyle
B- Probably, but may need to make some sacrifices

Total = 15

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Check back for the final blog to get the overall grades.

Weight Watchers Results

Posted by Krisserin | October 5, 2009 | 0 Comments

Susan
Total Weight Lost: 18.6

Read more about Susan's weight loss experience in her final blog.

Susan's Grades:

1. What is the likelihood that you would continue this diet.
A- I will definitely stay on the diet.

2. How would you rate the difficulty of the diet? Were you hungry often? Was the food terrible?
B- The diet was fairly easy to maintain, I slipped up now and again

3. How cost effective was this diet?
A- It wasn't expensive to maintain the diet

4. How would you rate your overall health? Energy level, quality of life?
A- I felt amazing on this diet! I had tons of energy

5. How likely are you to recommend this diet to a friend?
A- I would recommend this diet to all my friends with 100 percent confidence

Total Points = 19

Thomas' grades:

1. Percentage of weight lost by contestant
A- 7.8 Percent

2. Overall "healthiness" of plan
A- Included foods from every food group and encouraged fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean proteins and heart healthy fat

3. Ease of plan
B- Usually pretty easy, but may have to be choosier when eating out

4. Happiness of contestant on the plan
A- Ecstatic! Loves it!

5. Likelihood that this plan can become a lifestyle
A- Absolutely!

Total Points = 19

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Ruth
Total Weight Lost: 12.6

Watch Ruth's final video blog.

Ruth's Grades:

1. What is the likelihood that you would continue this diet.
A- I will definitely stay on the diet.

2. How would you rate the difficulty of the diet? Were you hungry often? Was the food terrible?
B- The diet was fairly easy to maintain, I slipped up now and again

3. How cost effective was this diet?
A- It wasn't expensive to maintain the diet

4. How would you rate your overall health? Energy level, quality of life?
B- I felt normal on the diet

5. How likely are you to recommend this diet to a friend?
A- I would recommend this diet to all my friends with 100 percent confidence

Total Points = 18

Thomas' grades:

1. Percentage of weight lost by contestant
C- 4.97 Percent

2. Overall "healthiness" of plan
A- Included foods from every food group and encouraged fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean proteins and heart healthy fat

3. Ease of plan
B- Usually pretty easy, but may have to be choosier when eating out

4. Happiness of contestant on the plan
A- Ecstatic! Loves it!

5. Likelihood that this plan can become a lifestyle
A- Absolutely!

Total Points = 20

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Peter
Total Weight Loss: 17.1

Read Peter's final blog.

Peter's Grades:

1. What is the likelihood that you would continue this diet.
A- I will definitely stay on the diet.

2. How would you rate the difficulty of the diet? Were you hungry often? Was the food terrible?
C- The diet was difficult at times, I had some trouble following it

3. How cost effective was this diet?
B- There were a few instances that I spent more than usual on food for this diet

4. How would you rate your overall health? Energy level, quality of life?
C- I was sometimes tired, sluggish, hungry

5. How likely are you to recommend this diet to a friend?
B- I would recommend this diet to friends, in general, most people could do the diet successfully

Total Points = 14

Thomas' grades:

1. Percentage of weight lost by contestant
A- 7.1 Percent

2. Overall "healthiness" of plan
A- Included foods from every food group and encouraged fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean proteins and heart healthy fat

3. Ease of plan
B- Usually pretty easy, but may have to be choosier when eating out

4. Happiness of contestant on the plan
B- Pretty happy and optimistic

5. Likelihood that this plan can become a lifestyle
B- Probably, but may need to make some sacrifices

Total Points = 17

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Kim
Total Weight Lost: 7.4 Pounds

Read Kim's final blog.

Kim's Grades:

1. What is the likelihood that you would continue this diet.
A- I will definitely stay on the diet.

2. How would you rate the difficulty of the diet? Were you hungry often? Was the food terrible?
B- The diet was fairly easy to maintain, I slipped up now and again

3. How cost effective was this diet?
A- It wasn't expensive to maintain the diet

4.     How would you rate your overall health? Energy level, quality of life?
A-    I felt amazing on this diet! I had tons of energy
5.     How likely are you to recommend this diet to a friend?
A-    I would recommend this diet to all my friends with 100 percent confidence

Total Points = 19

Thomas' grades:

1. Percentage of weight lost by contestant
C- 4.97 Percent

2. Overall "healthiness" of plan
A- Included foods from every food group and encouraged fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean proteins and heart healthy fat

3. Ease of plan
B- Usually pretty easy, but may have to be choosier when eating out

4.     Happiness of contestant on the plan
A-   Ecstatic!  Loves it!
5.   Likelihood that this plan can become a lifestyle
A-   Absolutely!

Total Points = 17

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John
Total Weight Lost: 27.2

Read John's final blog.

John's Grades:

1. What is the likelihood that you would continue this diet.
A- I will definitely stay on the diet.

2. How would you rate the difficulty of the diet? Were you hungry often? Was the food terrible?
A- The diet was extremely easy to maintain

3. How cost effective was this diet?
A- It wasn't expensive to maintain the diet

4. How would you rate your overall health? Energy level, quality of life?
A- I felt amazing on this diet! I had tons of energy

5. How likely are you to recommend this diet to a friend?
A- I would recommend this diet to all my friends with 100 percent confidence

Total Points = 20

Thomas' Grades:

1. Percentage of weight lost by contestant
A- 9.2 Percent

2. Overall "healthiness" of plan
A- Included foods from every food group and encouraged fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean proteins and heart healthy fat

3. Ease of plan
B- Usually pretty easy, but may have to be choosier when eating out

4.     Happiness of contestant on the plan
A-   Ecstatic!  Loves it!
5.   Likelihood that this plan can become a lifestyle
A-   Absolutely!

Total Points = 20
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Brad
Total Weight Lost: 13 Pounds

Watch Brad's final video blog.

Brad's Grades:
1.     What is the likelihood that you would continue this diet.
A-    I will definitely stay on the diet.
2.     How would you rate the difficulty of the diet? Were you hungry often? Was the food terrible?
B-   The diet was fairly easy to maintain, I slipped up now and again
3.     How cost effective was this diet?
C-   There were major items in this diet that were expensive
4.     How would you rate your overall health? Energy level, quality of life?
B-    I felt normal on the diet
5.     How likely are you to recommend this diet to a friend?
B-    I would recommend this diet to friends, in general, most people could do the diet successfully
Total Points = 15

Thomas' Grades
1.     Percentage of weight lost by contestant
B-   5.6 Percent
2.     Overall "healthiness" of plan
A-   Included foods from every food group and encouraged fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean proteins and heart healthy fat
3.     Ease of plan
B-   Usually pretty easy, but may have to be choosier when eating out
4.     Happiness of contestant on the plan
B-   Pretty happy and optimistic
5.   Likelihood that this plan can become a lifestyle
A-   Absolutely!

Total Points = 17
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Read the final blog to see the overall results.
read more

Diet Face Off 2 - John - End Result

Posted by squiggythomas | October 4, 2009 | 1 Comments

YO!

ok here it is
Starting stats                               Current stats

starting weight 230 lbs             current weight 202.3 lbs
height             5' 8"                   still 5' 8"

upper arms      16                       14
chest             48 in                    44.5 in
waist              43 in                    42 in
tummy            47 in                    43 in
hips                47 in                    44.5 in
thighs             24 in                    24 in.

total inches lost 13 inches

Well, I don't know about you, but I am impressed. My wife didn't think I would be dedicated to this challenge, but I kicked her hiney. I have made some major improvements in the way I eat. No more junk food. Well I can't say that I have totally cut out all junk food. But if you were to compare it to what I used to eat, then you would say I really changed my way of eating. Yeah, I still like my pizza, cheese burgers and fried chicken. I haven't had the fried chicken yet, but I now know that I need to watch my portions, eat more fresh foods and keep my calorie count down.

I would really recommend weight watchers to people. Ruth and I never really watched what we were eating. We just ate, and ate and ate. Enjoying everything. We have found new things to enjoy. I do have one thing to say about weight watchers. You really need to go to the meetings. And tracking what you are eating is key. I found myself mainly tracking my food on the livestrong daily plate site. I like that application on the itouch/iphone. I can track immediately and not try to recount what I ate that day. So, I can continue using that to watch what I am eating.

I have friends that have really noticed the change. And I have recommended the livestrong organization to friends and family. I think that what you did for all of us is really awesome. You jump started a new way of living. My doctor was really impressed at the weight I lost, and my eating habits has reduced my cholesterol. He asked what I was doing, and I told him weight watchers.

So exercise was always a challenge for Ruthie and me. Our hours are not real conducive to getting out to a gym. We did occasionally make time to ride a bike or walk, but it was never consistent. I walk all day at work, so atleast I got in 4-5 miles a day. I would have to say that making the big change in my eating habits must have been the reason I lost 28 lbs. I wonder what it would have been if we would have exercised more. hmm??

Well this has been a great education. I appreciate everyone at livestrong for giving us the opportunity and challenge to make a change.  THANK YOU VERY MUCH. John

Diet Face Off 2 - Ruth - End Results

Posted by twinklepinktoes | October 4, 2009 | 1 Comments

Diet Face Off - Ruth - End Results

Posted 10/4/2009 9:19 PM CDT on livestrong.com Community

Hi,

starting                                       current
height 5' 2 3/4"                        5' 2 3/4"   (yeah I didn't grow)
weight   181.4 lbs                     168.8 lbs

upper arm 14 in                         13 in.
chest       42 in                         42 in.
waist        37 in.                        35.5 in.
tummy      38 in.                        36 in.
hips          49 in.                        47 in.
thighs       28 in.                        28 in.

whew......
I really feel like I don't want this to end. Even though it is over, I am still continuing to watch what I am eating and mind my portions. Even my son is keeping a watchful eye on me, last night I could have gone loco on a bowl of M&M peanuts. You have no idea how good they tasted. He was on me like....you know.

I would like to say this about the journey. I have loved it and I can't stop talking to my friends and family about how amazing it has been. Yeah, I didn't do as well as I would have liked, but hey....a loss is a loss and I learned alot. On Weight Watchers it's all about portion control. I had NO control before. haha. John and I used to eat whatever we wanted and that could add up to 3,000 calories in a day, easy. We are definitely eating more veggies and fruit, more whole grains and keeping our "take-out" meals to a minimum, like never. But not seriously, maybe once in a while.

Weight Watchers has been a great diet for John and me. The meetings are really a key factor to the success. It is amazing how many people have been successful on weight watchers. Yeah, there are alot that are not, that is a consistent mantra. But I do believe that for us, we have and will continue to use the tools we learned and make healthy choices. I noticed that when I went out to dinner the first night the challenge was over, I still ordered something that would not be off the charts points wise. I had salmon, and I still took half home for the next day. See, portion control is key. And I was full, so no loss in my mind at all. Water is now a daily part of my life. Can't seem to go anywhere with out a bottle or two handy. I even have them rolling around in my car. Exercise has still been my downfall. No excuses, I just don't do it. I get motivated for a few days and then I slack off. I don't know what it is. I feel great when I do! I am just a lazy slug I guess. But I am really pleased with the inches I lost.

The Livestrong website and team have been awesome!!! I really appreciate their enthusiasm for what they are doing. WOW, they are dedicated to helping each and every one of us make an impact in our lives to be more healthy. YOU GUYS ROCK!!!   I will continue to post and keep track of my progress.

To all my fellow DFO2 participants. I applaud you all. Congrats and kudos to a great 9 weeks, and yay to weddings that happened along the way. We all made a change for the better and we have learned some great lessons that will shape who we are becoming.

Thank you for all your patience, and encouragement, xoxo, ruth

Diet Face Off 2: Brad, Wrap Up

Posted by rudacb | October 2, 2009 | 0 Comments

Team Weight Watchers

Starting Weight: 278lbs

Last Weight: 268lbs

Current Weight: 265lbs

Loss/Gain: -3
Height: 6'4"

Starting Weight: 278lbs - Ending Weight: 265lbs

Starting Bodyfat: 36% - Ending Bodyfat: 31%

Wow, what a ride! The last 10 weeks have flown by. I have a bittersweet feeling about the end. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to participate, but I'm also a little glad it's over and I don't need to be in the spotlight for a while.

As for the program, Weight Watchers is great. It's not so much a diet as a lifestyle adjustment. At it's core, he program teaches making quality food choices and portion control. You also get the support of other members at your local meetings. You weigh in once a week, but in most areas, you can attend as many meetings as you like. Currently, the best value is getting a monthly pass for $39. (as of 10/1/09)

If you're not a meetings person, you can also do the program online. The upside to the online service is that the same money will get you 3 months of access. Also, if you're a guy, the weight watchers site tailors itself to you so you don't have to weed through articles on things you're not interested in. Even the success stories are all men. You can also access the site on your mobile via their mobile site or the WeightWatchers iPhone app.

I want to thank everyone involved with the Diet Face Off. Suzy, Krisserin, Thomas, and the crew at LiveStrong.com, the other participants - great work guys!, and the DFO followers. If they do this again, I highly recommend submitting yourself for it. It was a blast! read more

Peter S- Diet Face Off Recap

Posted by pshaff | October 1, 2009 | 1 Comments

DFO Wrap up
Week-10

Starting Weight 241.5
Last Week 227.4
Current Weight 224.4

Total lost during DFO- 17.1pds!!!!!

Just left my Weight Watchers meeting and I lost exactly 3 pds
this week! That's a total of 17pds over the last 10 weeks.
I feel really great about the weight loss but also sad at the
end of the Diet Face Off. I was so impressed with the other
contestants in the contest, both the folks on WW AND Best Life
Diet. Although I didn't lose the most weight this has been an
unforgettable experience for me. This is definitely not the end
for me, I'm planning on staying on WW and going to meetings
through the end of the year. I want to keep using the Daily
Plate on the Livestrong site and keep it a daily part of my life.

I came to the Livestrong site because I'm a cancer survior and it
has given me so much strength and hope. While diets are
everywhere you turn, this contest got me to think in practical,simple
terms about what to do on a daily basis. Thank you so much to
Livestrong.com for giving me the impetus to start what I hope
continues to be a life changing journey.

Thank you to Thomas, Suzy and Krisserin for all your help!

Congratulations to all the contestants,

Peter

read more

Diet Face Off 2: Megan, Wrap Up

Posted by starryday727 | September 30, 2009 | 1 Comments

Starting Weight: 205.2

Starting Body Fat %: 35.1

Ending Weight: 196.8

Ending Body Fat %: 34.3

Total Losses: 8.4 lbs, .8% body fat

I am so grateful to Livestrong for giving me this opportunity. Due to my schedule at work, it was hard for me to fully jump into the DFO at first. My late nights at work, and 2 jobs, made it difficult to follow an eating schedule, and to get any exercise in. Sure I was running some, and I ran a 10k race, but it wasn't enough. At first I thought it was going to end before I really had a chance to take fully advantage, but when the DFO was extended, I said "OK, this is my time!" I actually checked my body fat at the end of 6 weeks, before I joined the gym, and it hadn't changed from the start. Basically that almost 1% loss has only been in the last 3-4 weeks.

I've learned a lot about myself over the course of starting the Best Life Diet. In learning about the Hunger Scale, I've found out that I eat a lot out of boredom, and when I'm alone. That's also when I tend to eat the worst. I've also learned a lot about my personal habits, and "laziness" that stops me from doing a lot of things. At the beginning of this more than at the end, I would find myself coming home from work planning to exercise, and make some sort of excuse. I still do this occasionally, but have managed to get at least 5 hours of exercise in per week for almost 4 weeks now, so I'm getting better. I've also learned that things I like to eat that are bad for me, don't really make me feel good either. Too much sugar gives me a headache, and if I eat ice cream after dinner my stomach gets upset, like it's too full. I don't know why I never noticed these things before.

I still have about 20 lbs to lose, which is a long way to go for me. I need to continue to stop making excuses, and continue to push myself out of my comfort zone. I will still try to follow the Best Life Diet as well as I can. I really like that it's reasonable, and follows the basic principals of eating well and exercising regularly. Any restrictions and I usually fail, but with this, I feel like I can allow myself a bad day here and there, and it's OK in the end. Now I'm just continuing to learn how to make the bad days fewer and farther between, and really getting the most out of this "diet". I know that on the days and weeks where I really followed the plan, it worked, but I need to continue to be more consistent, and stop sabotaging my progress by holding onto old habits.

If anyone wants to continue following my journey, I use my food diary to post comments almost daily, and I'm going to continue my blog posts once a week on my profile. Thank you all so much for your support! If it weren't for this DFO, I probably would not have found the same motivation that I've had for the past 10 weeks. This really was the kick in the butt I needed!

Diet Face Off 2: Seth Wrap Up

Posted by sfeder | September 28, 2009 | 1 Comments

The final tally (before/after):

Weight: 229 / 207 lbs = 22 pounds lost in 10 weeks!
Body fat: 24.5 / 16.2 %
Chest: 42.5 / 41 inches
Waist: 39.5 / 37 inches
Hips: 43.5 / 43.0 inches
Thighs: 25.5 / 23.3 inches

So this is a wrap for the Diet Face Off Challenge. I really like the Best Life Diet, because it allows you to make small changes in the way you eat yet acheive fantastic results. It is not a fad diet or short term kind of quick solution. I will likely use the methods and behaviors I learned forever.

Most importanly, I learned to eat whole grains, low fat, and nutrient rich foods in place of sugar/starch/fat filled foods. I will use snacks as a way to ward off binge eating at meals. I highly recommend the hunger scale, to stop eating before you are full, and start snacking before you get ravenous.

Plus, I beleive food logging right here in The Daily Plate is a really powerful tool to aid in your quest. Having the food log go with you on your favorite mobile device is a plus. I logged just about everything I ate for the last 10 weeks, maybe missing a couple of meals and entire days here and there. The Daily Plate really rocks, because you rarely need to hand type the nutritional information yourself, the database has so much already.

The book by Bob Greene has a lot more to offer beyond those things I mentioned, but you will have to discover that for yourself.

Thank you for checking in and watching us each week. And, thanks the good folks here at Livestrong.com for organizing a fun and positive program. Lastly, thanks to my friends and family for all the support.

Seth read more

Diet Face Off 2: Carolyn, Wrap-up

Posted by garolyn | September 28, 2009 | 2 Comments

STARTING STATS:           CURRENT STATS:
Height: 5'5.5"                     Height: 5'5.5"

Weight: 186lb                    Weight: 175lb (Down 11#)

Body fat: 39.6%             Body Fat: 35.9% (Down 3.4%)

Bust: 43” Bust: 42" (Down 1")

Waist: 40” Waist: 38.5" (Down 1.5")

Hips: 46.5” Hips: 45" (Down 1.5")

Thigh: 24” Thigh: 23.5" (Down .5")

Bicep: 13” Bicep: 13" (I like to think it's because I lost fat and gained muscle!)

And here we are at the end of DFO2. I am SO very glad I came along on this ride. I met some great people, learned some new things, and, as you can see by my stats, things worked well for me. I lost 11 pounds, and 4.5" over all. I'm very pleased! The other thing I'm pleased with is that based on the calculations of the nutritionist that did my body fat measures (thanks, Francie! You're awesome!) 10.8 of the 11 pounds that I lost were body fat! I was able to keep my lean body mass - certainly because of the increased exercise. It feels good knowing that what I was doing was creating the exact result that I was looking for! I've noticed some little changes in my body, too...like, when we were hiking today, and I would look down to watch my step, I could see the muscles in my shins! Also, I can see my triceps now, and my husband commented the other day about how my "wings" were smaller! (Oh, those dreaded WINGS - you know, the flab on the back of your arm...ick!)

I really enjoyed The Best Life Diet, and would (and have) recommend it to others. I think it would be especially good for people who are reluctant to jump in to anything too overwhelming at first. It's sort of like baby steps through the "getting healthy" process. It is a plan that I can see myself continuing to use. I'll need to fine-tune my use of "anything goes" calories, but I think I'll be able to find a balance. I agree with what Kai said this week - if you use the hunger scale and the other tools to monitor your huger signals, and you make good choices, it can certainly be done with minimum effort.

But, I'm not done yet. I've been at this weight before, and that's when it all went awry for me last time. This is an important place for me. I'm going to continue to track - which is so much easier with the Livestrong app for my iTouch, since I don't have to remember every bite and can track in real time, and a few of us on here are going to continue to meet in the Best Life Group on this site once a week for check ins and weight announcements. (Feel free to join us! The more, the merrier!) I'm going to continue to incorporate exercies into my days, and I'm going to continue to hold myself accountable for my food choices. I really want to be healthy and to be a good example to my children.

Thanks again to Livestrong, and to The Daily Plate for giving me this opportunity to participate in the DFO2! I thoroughly enjoyed it, and will continue on the journey you helped me start.

Wherever you are in your journey to a healthier you, KEEP IT UP! LIVESTRONG! YOU deserve to be HEALTHY!

Cheers,
Carolyn
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