 Ossie-Sharon 8 years ago | Hi, Irene. They are referring to natural, unsweetened cranberry juice, which they recommend to dilute with water. If you are interested in the research behind it, see here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=cranberry+fat. |
 Irene1942 8 years ago | Following the latest email from the Trim Down Club. What exactly is the secret about drinking Red Water to help burn belly fat? I listened to the link that waffled on for an age but it didn’t seem to get to the point? |
 CharlieSwanner 8 years ago | I have a question. My husband joined a week ago and I’m trying to help him and I am having a difficult time trying to come up with menus without just having the same thing almost every day, which has been grilled chicken, grilled steak or grilled pork chops and that’s already getting old. I don’t really understand how this works yet, so not sure what or how much to eat. I need to cook lunch the night before for the next day to take to work and sometimes, depending on my schedule may even need to cook the next day dinner the night before. |
 myparentswerewonderful 8 years ago | Thank you, I will give it a try. |
| Ossie-Sharon 8 years ago | Hi, myparentswerewonderful. Yes, until you are physically active, you can cut your starchy carb portions in half. |
| myparentswerewonderful 8 years ago | Hi, With great disappointment, I weighed myself this morning and the scale read I had gained 6 lbs. Now I really don’t know what to do. |
| myparentswerewonderful 8 years ago | Thank you. I was I can walk about 10 minutes a day and I am waiting for an answer from my Dr. about walking in the pool. I’m sure it will be OK. Should I cut back on my carbs? |
| Ossie-Sharon 8 years ago | Hi, myparentswerewonderful. Thanks for that background.
Your diet is important, of course, but exercise is actually just as important BECAUSE of your condition. I’m sure you realize that carrying around extra weight constantly strains your back (as if you’re doing heavy lifting all the time), and that losing weight will reduce your pain and promote the health of your back.
However, the more you are sedentary, the more you may actually worsen your spine situation. Exercising is an effective way to strengthen and stabilize your low back muscles to compensate and prevent further injury and pain. Strong muscles support your body weight and bones—taking unnecessary pressure off your spine.
You don’t need to endure an intense cardio program or lift heavy weights—simple stretching and aerobic exercises will do, and activities in water (as hwyla mentioned) are particularly recommended, as this takes even more pressure off. I would recommend talking to your healthcare team about options and safety measures. In the mean time, I’m attaching links here to videos featuring some ideas that may help:
http://www.spineuniverse.com/conditions/herniated-disc/video-series-exercises-herniated-disc. Moderate aerobic activities, including small amounts of walking a couple of times a day, may also be tolerated. Talk to your doctor about what exercises will best help you. |
| myparentswerewonderful 8 years ago | I will check with my Dr. about water aerobics. Should I alter my diet so I can loose some weight. Thank you. |
 hwyla 8 years ago | @ myparents… have you asked about water rehab? I’m sure it would depend on whatever particular water exercise you choose, but I would guess there might be some movements that would not strain your back or neck as much. Even just walking in water up to your chest is almost like walking with weights – just easier on your body (less jarring) than walking on land. |
| myparentswerewonderful 8 years ago | Thank you for your response. I have had my thyroid tested and it is within normal range. Exercise is really hard for me because of many herniated disks in my back and neck. I was told not to use weights, no long distance walking, no jumping up and down, so you see because of my situation, what I eat has to be the answer to me ridding this weight. I hope you can help me. |
| Ossie-Sharon 8 years ago | Hi, willowjaz. We actually wouldn’t recommend loading too much at the end of the day, unless you intend to have an evening workout. Most people’s bodies are pretty resilient, and if you miss a little food once in a while, a nutritional deficiency isn’t likely. |
| Ossie-Sharon 8 years ago | Hi, myparentswerewonderful. Plateaus are indeed a common issue when trying to lose weight. The best way to give yourself a boost here, as well as to deal with the constipation, is to adjust your physical activity level and increase water intake.
Another common cause of lack of weight loss or weight gain is an imbalance in thyroid function. For this, we recommend getting tested and followed by your healthcare provider. If you are receiving medication, be sure the dose matches your need.
The most reliable (and healthiest) way to give your body a boost here is through physical activity. This is not just because of the extra energy it burns, but also because it protects and strengthens your most important fat-burning asset, muscle tissue.
If you are new to exercise, please let us know, and we can assist you with resources on getting started if you wish—note that you don’t have to dive headfirst into anything strenuous, and that there are helpful exercises to fit all ability levels and time schedules. Even just walking in place in front of the TV for the length of a sitcom is great—if you feel like you’re “out of shape,” just start with 5 minutes each time, and work your way up to 30 minutes, then twice per day if you need.
If you recently started exercising, the number on the scale may not be reliable at this stage. Since you are now swapping fat for muscle, which is much heavier, you may be getting healthier while the number of pounds or kilos stays the same. In this case, pay more attention to how you’re looking and feeling, how your clothes are fitting, etc.
If you have been exercising all along, the muscles you usually use may have become complacent and don’t burn energy the way they did at the beginning. In this case, we suggest to introduce new exercises, even swapping them out for the old ones for a little while, to wake up new muscles. The best results have been reported with introducing weight training—again, it doesn’t have to be super strenuous, just something you can do on a regular basis. Even just lifting filled food cans in front of the TV counts. Another option is to mix up the rhythm by adding bursts of higher intensity movement to a steady aerobic regime. This can be something like 30 seconds of jogging or going uphill every 5 minutes during a regular walk.
Regardless of your situation, it is recommended to you discuss your plans with your health care provider to be sure any needed safety steps are taken.
If you have additional questions or concerns, or if none of these scenarios appear to apply to you—and/or you are noticing that the food amounts are exceeding your physical comfort level—please do repost, and we will work with you to right-size both aspects of your plan. |
 willowjaz 8 years ago | I have a question that I wonder if someone can answer. When I first started the TDC my understanding of the menu choices for meals/snacks was each one was created so your metabolim could burn off the calories. That is, they were balanced. I just read somewhere that if you miss a snack or a lunch or even both, you should eat all of the suggested items before the end of the day just to make sure you get all the required nutritional benefits. To me, that means trying to get all the items in even if it’s the end of the day. If that is the case how does your metabolism burn off extra food? |
| myparentswerewonderful 8 years ago | Hi, Last week I lost 8 lbs. and I was so pleased but I lost nothing this past week. No matter what diet I have followed I seem to get rid of 7 or 8 pounds quickly and then I don’t get rid of any more weight. It is so discouraging and I have followed the diet to the “T”. I really need to get rid of this weight for health reasons and my Dr. suggested this plan for me. I want to be successful so do you have any ideas for me? Also, constipation has become a problem. Thank you. |
