Ten Diet Tweaks to Lose Weight for Life!

Walking

Posted by Gean (Salina, Kansas) on 07/08/2009
★★★★★

I just wanted to mention that every time I have an exercise program where I walk every morning for 1/2 hour I lose weight. When I get confident and start running, I start to gain weight. This has happened a half dozen times so I'm sure it's not coincidence. Like I just read from Dr. Mercola, the assertion that to lose weight one has to simply eat less and move more is not true. It may be true for some people, but if you have weak adrenals you will put on weight (fatty inches esp. around the waist) with aerobic exercise. Once (a few years ago) I tried eating next to nothing for 2 months and lost about 2 lbs. Then I started taking licorice root (and eating properly) and lost 7 lbs. in one week. Obviously it's all hormonal related. Of course, if someone is eating junk food all day it would be the obvious place to start to cut that out. But I know people who could eat all day and be all the skinnier for it. Some are related to me. So if you eat a healthy diet and exercise but still can't lose the inches, maybe you're exercising too hard and eating too little. Moderation in all things!

No Oils, No Sweeteners

Posted by Gean (Salina, KS) on 03/27/2009
★★★★★

Hi, I would just like to share my recent experience with weight loss. A few months ago I had read about the Budwig diet where you mix cottage cheese and flax oil, how it helps with all kinds of ailments, including auto-immune disease, etc. So loving to experiment, I thought I'd try it. I had up to 4 Tblsp. flax oil a day with cottage cheese. I stayed on this for a couple months, during which I put on 8-10 lbs. I stopped the regiment and tried to lose the weight. Very healthy diet (whole food, vegetarian), little food, lots of food, no suppers, light suppers, exercise, occasional fasts, you name it. Nothing helped. I also tried the "good oil" theory (virgin coconut oil, cod liver oil), and I only put on more weight. ACV, and same.

Then I decided to go on a no free fat diet (no oils of any kind), and no sweeteners of any kind (no honey, molasses, nothing), but I wasn't fanatical if there was a little oil or honey in my bread. I was very careful not to put butter on my bread, no oil on veges, nothing like that. I also stopped any and all stimulants or spices, or anything fermented such as soy sauce, sauerkraut, ACV, etc. Of course no artificial stuff like pop. The first week I didn't notice anything. But the second week I lost 9 lbs. and I feel fantastic. I'm at the end of the second week. I have zero food cravings and eat my fill of whole foods with no free fats or sugars (meaning I eat fresh fruit, some dried fruit, and fats in their natural form such as olives, avocados and nuts (I eat small amounts of even natural fats, as they will overload your liver). I don't drink water with my meals, only between meals. I eat a light supper of a piece of toast (whole grain of course) and a pc. of fruit, around 5 or 6 pm. For breakfast and lunch I eat until I am full.

My conclusion was that the free fats were blocking proper hormonal function, and as long as I was doing that no amount of dieting would work. Now that the hormones are balanced, I don't have to starve, I feel great.

I hope this helps someone.

Multiple Remedies

Posted by Erin (Naperville, IL) on 05/18/2009

Your story sounds similar to mine after I got double pneumonia several years ago. I was on very strong antibiotics for about three months and then, while I still had vestiges of the pneumonia, I began picking up other strange infections like pink eye, bronchitis and a skin condition. My doctor ran tests and said that due to the infection and the pneumonia, my immune system had been compromised. Then he suggested changing my antibiotic to a different one and he said he would have to start treating me like an organ transplant patient ... which meant limiting my contact with the outside world, eating and resting as much as possible, etc. The whole time he was telling me this, my brain was shouting, "You guys did this to me! You made me sicker! There is no way I'm going to let you do anything more. You had your chance." I left his office and made an appointment with my Chinese doctor. She practices acupuncture and Chinese herbs. When I went to see her, she gave me an exam, some Chinese herbs and about an hour of acupuncture and told me to come back the following week. That night, I slept better than I had in five months. By the end of the first week, I was feeling like my old self again. My energy was coming back and I was feeling healthier and stronger. I kicked everything within a month. I should have gone to her in the first place! My advice to you is to seek out an acupuncturist and herbalist. You gave traditional medicine a chance and it didn't do much good for you. Good luck!

Multiple Remedies

Posted by Dianne (Orillia, Ontario Canada) on 05/19/2009

Laure from Bellville, Have you tried any antifungal/parasite cleanses? Sounds like that could be a solution. I have learned a lot in regards to what happens when we are overloaded with parisites and fungus. Also you need to build up your immune system. You should be taking some wide spectrum pro biotics as well. There is a TV show called "Know The Cause" which you can see on the web. It features many aspects of health and the reasons for it's decline.Hope you can regain your health quickly Blessings Dianne

ACV and Baking Soda

Posted by Fuse (Singapore) on 12/24/2008
★☆☆☆☆

I'm a fan of earth clinic and i know many people don't start losing weight immediately. I have been doing the ACV with baking soda sipping it through out the day since beginning of Dec to see if the losing weight really works before my solemnisation in end Jan. It has been 3 and half weeks now but i still don't see any weight loss. I'm using organic ACV with the mother in it. I'm just wondering if i'm doing anything wrong. Should i switch drinking just half an hour before meals? Any advice would be great. Cheers

Dietary Changes, Exercise, Supplements

Posted by Rick (University Place, WA) on 12/11/2008
★★★★★

History - 244 pounds, 302 on last test, A1C=10
Today - 4 months later - 198 pounds, 95 today's fast measure, A1C=7

How?:
1- Life style not diet. Don't go on diet for cure. Diet means short term measure or solutions. Must change life style meaning FOREVER.

2- Medications - We love easy solutions. Diabetic meds are not to cure you. They are business solutions to keep you stable for a while, at a profit with possible side effects. Nothing wrong with that if you want easy solution and eat what you like, at least for a while before kidney failure and other complications.

3- Smart Eating - How about no starch, no grains, no beans or peas, no corn, no green peas, no sugar, no sweeteners, no coffee, no soda, no potatoes, no fried food, no fast food, no buffets, no red meat, no milk, no oats, no breakfast cereals, no chocolate or candies, no pop corn or chips, no sweet fruits, no fats and oils, or very small portion. Brush your meat or vegetables with oil if you want to use your Foreman style broiler or toaster broiler. Boil you vegetable and meat, or use high heath steam.

Do not eat out of a bag or package. Get a small cup. Fill the cup with what you want to eat. Use that as a measure. You need to see visually the portions that you are eating. The measuring will help you reduce portion and cut on your excess weight.

4- What to eat - Meat can not exceed 20% of your meal. Eat berries, any berries, vegetables, Fish, other sea foods, skinless chicken, and spices. Some not so common items to eat include pomegranate with white meat portions included. Fresh or rehydrated walnuts with the soft dividers between the meat included. Artichokes, green beans, zucchini, avocado, and green tea seems to be very effective. Use Sunflower oil and Fresh Squeezed lemon Juice for salad dressing or meat marinade. Eat garlic, watercress, radish along with its few youngest leaves on.

I can hear voice of opposition wanting to have some fruits, oils and starches. They call it having balanced diet. You are a diabetic, most likely overweight. It was those little sugars, oils, starches and grains that got you here. Your obesity is testimonial that you can not eat just a little of soda and pasta without going back for more. Drastic measures are required until you are in much better shape.

5- Supplements - Vitamin C, Flex Seed, Milk Thistle, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Fenugreek, Garlic, B complex, Magnesium. Don't overkill. Take 1 tablet of 1 supplement a day and change to the next supplement next day, rotate and arrange to your liking.

6- Exercise body and mind - Start easy with 30 minutes walk on your lunch period. After work, do another 15-30 minutes of tread mill or walking. Some warm up an cool down easier exercised as well as few minutes of small weigh, around 5 pounds, exercises.
Use meditation or biofeed back. An alternative way would be when in bed ready to sleep, use the quiet time to tell yourself you want to be cured. Ask your brain to find out what the problem is and to have it corrected. What you believe is what can happen.

7- Education - Try to read one article a day about Diabetic or your digestive system. First, it educates you about your conditions. Second, it reminds you of the risk if you continue. Third, it keeps you on course. As you read, question all suggestions to see if they have commercial implications for the writer.

Here is what happens. No salt, no oil, no starch, no sugar makes you lose water that your kidney storing some in the puffed up ankles. You start to lose weight. Loss of weight equals to more energy and better fasting levels. The extra energy gives you mobility to lose more weight for better control over your diabetes and the healing cycle continues. As a side effect, your other diabetic complications like shrinking kidneys improves.

These suggestions are not for every one. It takes a very determined person to make this work. I am sharing with you what worked for me. For all others, take medications as your doctor suggest. I refused medications because every chemical action oriented drug that goes into your body eventually has reaction(s), some I hope to avoid. Plus, pill gives me the latitude to not drastically change my life until it is too late.

Dietary Changes, Exercise, Supplements

Posted by Matt (Indianapolis, Indiana) on 05/19/2009

Judy, EVERYTHING gets converted to sugar (glycogen) if your body is going to use it for energy, not just sugars and starches. Sugar does not 'cause' anything and is not 'bad', what causes the ailments you describe is a combination of unhealthy lifestyle habits and genetics. Weight loss is simple: calories in vs. calories out. There are no magic cures. Eat healthy, exercise, and don't be afraid to work hard.

Dietary Changes, Exercise, Supplements

Posted by Cat (Austin, Tx) on 01/28/2010

Matt you are sooooooo wrong. Do the historical research on sugar; it is as deadly as heroin. Start with its history as a refined substance. A good book to start with is SUGAR BLUES by Duffy. Diabetes was once accurately called SUGAR DIABETES. I remember, as a child, seeing an old gentleman from my neighborhood with both legs missing and asking my grandmother what had happened to him. She said, "He got the sugar diabetes." The sugar industry hated this saying; which is why sugar was dropped as a prefix to the word diabetes in literature and advertising. Read Duffy's book and you will get the message that sugar is killing us from the womb (where type 1 diabetes is set up) to blind, toothless, legless old age. Sugar is an enemy to man. The first time my daughter tasted sugar (age 2)in the form of a hard candy, she fanned her mouth, saying it burns. We have all lost this sensitivity to a very deadly, addictive poison. Do the research!

ACV and Baking Soda

Posted by Joyce (Joelton, Tn) on 11/23/2008 489 posts

Hi Kathy, are you drinking plenty of water? At least 8 - 10 glasses a day? Also are you getting any activity, especially walking? If the answer to both of these is yes, then my suggestion is to increase your intake of the dark, leafy green vegetables for a better type of fiber.

I remember one patient who had a fecal impaction, which consisted mostly of popcorn husks (the outer covering of the popcorn kernels). He was somewhat upset because he had been snacking on popcorn quite often to combat his constipation. From the looks of what was removed, he never ate anything but popcorn! Even indigestible fiber can create problems if you don't drink enough water or have a little activity.

I find that when I have a slight problem with constipation, a glass or two of apple juice works like a purgative for me, much quicker and more thorough than prunes or prune juice.

Your dietary changes sound great though. One other thing I just thought of is that many in the medical field say that
magnesium is one of our biggest nutrient deficiencies today, so unless you eat a lot of magnesium rich foods, you might want to consider a magnesium supplement or even an epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) bath a few times a week..

Apple Cider Vinegar, Cranberry, Lemon

Posted by Michelle (Houston, TX) on 06/24/2008
★★★★★

I take a daily concoction of 1 tsp ACV, 4 ounces of unsweetened cranberry juice, 12 ounces of water, and half of a squeezed lemon. It's part of an eating plan and it's said to help cleanse the liver. All I know about it after seven days is that I feel generally better. I am prone to UTI's so the cranberry is definitely helping, and I've lost 4 pounds in eight days. (Of course, I'm following a prescribed plan of eating all natural foods and eating every three hours). It's a bitter drink, but I'm still drinking it!

Exercise and Diet

Posted by June (Beverly Hills, CA) on 05/09/2008
★★★★★

Responding to Jennifer on the Weight Loss Q&A page about entering peri-menopause and not being able to lose weight. I am turning 41 in a few months and have been having the same issue of not being able to a) lose weight; and b) firm up my tummy. I changed a few things in the last few weeks and have been experiencing slow but real success. Here's what I did:

1. I started working out with a personal trainer (half hour sessions) 2x a week doing core training (lots of stomach work). After this session, he makes me do 45 minutes of cardio. Before this I was working out 4-5 days a week at the gym by myself and obviously something wasn't working!

The interesting thing that I have learned from my trainer is that you don't want to keep doing the same kind of cardio day after day. Your body becomes very efficient and burns fewer and fewer calories. You want to jolt your system by changing the kind of cardio. So now one day I jog lightly, the next session I do 45 minutes of ellipitical, then another day I do the bike. The personal trainer has been a great investment, I must admit.

The next thing I have taken ahold of is my diet. I am eating only simple foods that are easy to digest. Wheat products now basically out, as are starchy carbs like rice and potatoes. Cheese is out too (slow to digest). I have also cut radically back on my sugar intake, since that appears to be the big impediment to weight loss. I have half a teaspoon of organic brown sugar in my tea a few times a day, but that's it. I have lost 3 lbs in 2 weeks, but the most noticeable change is in my face where the skin right under my chin is firming up (no more jowel forming!). My stomach is slowly slimming too.

Oh, one more thing... weight training adds more weight to the muscles, so you can't always go by that. Better to measure body fat than your weight.

Hope this helps!

Fenugreek

Posted by Maliaka (Detroit, Michigan) on 02/26/2008
★★★★★

Fenugreek tea helped me lose weight. HI all, I was introduced to fenugreek seeds by a physician that does colonics. He gave it to me for weight loss. Apparently fenugreek lowers blook pressure because it cuts fat cells. He informed me that we have fat on every cell in our bodies and that when you take fenugreek as a tea it cuts the fat on your cells, which is all of them, thus causing you to lose weight as well. The way I take it is to put 1 teaspoon to a teaspoon and a half in a mug and microwave it or you can boil it in a pot and make a larger amount. The best way to take it is as a tea but if you can't stand the taste you can do as I do. I add a tea bag after I have brought the tea to a boil and add suger and lemon juice or u can do honey. It is best if done at least three times a day. However, I was trying to test it out and was only drinking one cup a day. I tried it last year and lost 25 pounds (at one cup a day). I stopped for a while and recently picked it back up and in one week lost an additional ten pounds. All of the weight loss I am speaking of was done just drinking the tea once a day and with no excercise. So imagine what it would do with excercise and a proper diet. I highly recommend it for both high blood pressure and weight loss. Do try it, it works. Good luck and definately give your feed back of how it does for you.

Fenugreek

Posted by Haras (San Jose, Ca) on 01/21/2012

As many others have written on this website- it is in your best interest to never microwave anything you drink or eat!

Bentonite Clay

Posted by Sara (Westport, OR) on 02/11/2008
★★★★★

Dear Earthclinic, I have tried many remedies over the years to remove the belly fat on my stomach and hips. I have been drinking one tablespoon of liquid bentonite clay which I purchased at the local health food store about six weeks ago. I have lost about 3" on my belly and 2" on my hips. The other reason I'm drinking this is that it detoxes metal from the body. The taste is mild and I take it only at night with a glass of water. To date, I have more energy, eat less as I feel full, and my body feels lighter. There are more benefits to ingesting clay but too numerous to mention. A 16oz. fluid bottle cost about $8.00 and has about two months worth of bentonite liquid clay.

Water Remedy With ACV and Salt

Posted by Andreina (Roma, Italy) on 12/27/2007
★★★★★

In the morning, I mix 1Tbl ACV with a pint of water, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. I put it in a bottle and drink it throughout the day. I repeat the prosedure in the afternooon, so I drink 2 pints a day. It cures everything (my acne, sore throat, stomach ache, dry skin, sore joints...etc) I've been doing this for 3 months, and have dropped 7.5 kilograms! I <3 water! Be sure to mix it with salt and vinegar, so you don't lose vital nutrients, and sodium!

ACV and Coconut Oil

Posted by Plumhappy (Eugene, Oregon) on 07/23/2012

Be careful with coconut oil. Start out with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon at a time since it can cause diarrhea if too much is taken at once. Work your way up to a Tablespoon.

ACV and Baking Soda

Posted by Kimberly (Mineral, VA, USA) on 10/08/2007
★★★★★

Hello, I've been using the ACV & Baking Soda since June and have been very please with the results. I went from having NO energy, chronic general joint pain all over, excessive weight and acid reflux to feeling about 75% better with a lot more energy, NO chronic general pain and I have lost 20lbs to date and although my acid reflux isn't gone, at least when it flairs up even with meds, I can now get it under control. I have about 60lbs I would like to still loose. I would like to stop taking my medication for acid reflux, but I think I need to loose some more weight to. I think that in conjunction with the ACV and baking soda would do the trick. I am also on blood pressure medication and would like to see what happens with that to. I have seen a decrease in my blood pressure since starting the ACV. It will be interesting to see if my dr removes me for this medication to. The one thing I was really hoping for with the ACV and baking soda that I haven't seen an improvement in yet is a reduction in my chronic back pain and pinched nerve. I still have to take something for these two when they flair up. I have scoliosis and I guess this will be something I will have to address differently. However, if anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to post or e-mail me. Over all I am very very please with the results I've had with the ACV and baking soda. Thanks!

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Lisa (Providenciales, Turks) on 05/22/2007
★★★★★

Thanks for your site- I was browsing on sites to lose weight. I came upon yours. I tried the apple cider vinegar for one week and i can see results. My result is showing on the stomach area and it gives me energy, more relaxed, peace of mind My last weight is 133- my gold is 115-120 Thank you

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Darian (Springfield, MO) on 05/02/2007
★★★★★

This is update #1. I've been taking ______ ACV religiously 3 times daily (1/8 - 1/4 cup). Since I've started taking the vinegar, I've noticed a lot of other benefits besides helping to heal my sinus problem. My energy level has greatly increased. This has allowed me to start exercising more. I started walking about an hour a day (at least 3 days a week) for a few weeks, and now I'm even jogging on occasion. So far in the past 2 weeks, I've lost a few pounds, which of course is related to the exercise, but I still maintain it wouldn't be possible without the ACV and the energy I've gotten from not being sick all the time. God bless this site and for the information you provide. I'll give another update in a month or so. As I like to say as a toast when I take the ACV... Here's to your health

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Queen Nylah (Manhattan) on 01/22/2016

Thank you so much for sharing. I just started taking the royal jelly and honey mixture together at night. It has done wonders for my sleep, and my abdominal. Is not as inflated, ive noticed a change in my eating habits as well, and I dont feel brain fatigued. I am happy that you found this remedy that works, like you had suffered, I am tired of suffering from obesity and I truly want my body back, I have alot of living to do. Your testimony definitely give me drive and inspiration. I will also include your remedy as well. I cant wait to try it.

Tea and an Apple

Posted by Christian (Woodland Hills, CA) on 01/31/2007
★★★★★

Ok, i usually eat many but sometimes when i rather use the computer i don't eat. Once i was hungry but did not eat. So instead i just drank some water and ate an apple, after two hours i didn't feel hungry. Since my mother brought some food i ate and when did i felt really full!! You should try this, because your stomach part gets thinner when u get hungry and u feel full. If you do this continuously, your eating habits will be less and less and less.

Tea and an Apple

Posted by Moriah (Australia) on 03/07/2026
★★★★★

Christian, I want to let you know that this always works for me to. Apples are like medicine for me.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Ryan (Ottawa, Ontario) on 12/03/2006
★★★★★

I have been experiencing recurrent chest pain for almost the last year, all tests (ECG's, Halter Monitor and lots of blood work) indicated that there was nothing wrong with my heart so the doctors put me on one of those fancy (and expensive) proton pump inhibitors as they assumed everything was related to GERD (acid reflux). I am not sure if it was GERD that I had but the chest pain has gone away. As a bonus I have been shedding pounds like never before. However I do think that the weight loss is mostly water due to the fact that ACV acts as a mild diuretic. Interestingly enough unlike other natural diuretics ACV doesn't affect your salts/electrolytes because it contains potassium. Really happy to have found this website!