Ten Diet Tweaks to Lose Weight for Life!

I have been taking apple cider vinegar for the past month to lose weight. It's working and I feel awesome. I take a teaspoon of ac vinegar in hot water with lemon when I wake up, then a tablespoon of it in my sports water bottle, which I sip all day. I have lost 4 pounds so far.

Fasting 5:2 Diet

This is incredible! I have tried EVERY diet out there, doing research for years on nutrition and diet, went gluten-free for a while, went vegan, but could not lose those those last stubborn 10 pounds. I started fasting 22 hours, two days per week, and my life has changed. I am under 130 for the first time in a decade and ALL my old clothes fit again. Words cannot describe what it feels like to feel like your old self, and more importantly, feel in permanent control of your weight--it's been years of desperation and yo-yo dieting. Not to mention what it does to your mood!

I fast on Mondays and Wednesdays(or Thurs, depending on plans). I eat a full meal the night before around 7:30 and then eat 22 hours later around 5:30. I drink coffee in the morning and maybe another cup of coffee or tea around 2:00(I set an alarm on my phone) and just sip water casually throughout the day. Life changing. It's so much easier than you think just to skip a couple meals and just say to yourself, "I'm not very hungry" than it is to constantly stress about planning meals and waste time and energy counting calories. Just find projects to focus on and keep your mind distracted and you will be fine. Sipping water also prevents hunger pangs so it's easy to forget you are even fasting.

Prayer and/or journaling during these days is the easiest way to transform your mind while transforming your body. Just purge every thought out on paper and don't sensor yourself(you can always burn it! ) But try fasting, it will seriously get you off the diet roller coaster and completely reset your taste buds for healthier eating. Trust me, you really can do this!

It sounds like you may have histamine intolerance! That would cause the headache. Hope this helps. To decrease histamine you can avoid certain foods but also you can take histamine degrading probiotics as well as a supplementthat degrades histamine.

I am an Asian-American and love ginger in my food. however. I have been using coconut oil for two months now.. Enjoying many benefits. Lost significant weight. Down to a 32 waist with a 42 jacket. Have not enjoyed that since my college days 65 years ago.

You are losing the height because the excess weight is compacting on your joints to make you shorter. Once you loose the weight as long as there is not permanent issues with your joints you should gain the inches you lost in your height back. Good luck with the weight loss. I am doing the same as you working to get the extra off.

I have thyroid issues also, and have gained 40 lbs in a short amount of time too. I am 67 years old, and have been doing this for 2 days. I have already lost 2 lbs. I will keep you posted as to my results.

Oh, try the natural approach to your backed up problem and drink prune juice. Things will flow thru soon

Thanks for the tip. As an appetite suppressant chia seeds works wonders. A tablespoon first thing in the morning before breakfast with water.

Misconception - baking soda never contains aluminum, but some baking powders do, so always buy the aluminum-free baking powder for your cooking. And don't worry about the baking soda.

Bentonite Clay removes all bacteria. So If your worried about negative effects, just make sure your taking good pro & prebiotics a few hours after you take it. I could see it causing havoc with prolonged use without aiding your body in gaining those back.

I'm in my seventies, and keep well. However, recently I've been attempting to lose a bit of weight, and to guard against looking too drawn from weight loss I've been taking hydrolysed collagen. Hoping that it will help with bones, nails, hair, skin, etc. I've been taking six caplets a day on an empty stomach, and for about a month I felt really good. However, this last fortnight my spine has become really painful, and one of my discs especially so when pressure was applied to it. And I've been finding that old injuries have also become painful. Putting two and two together I wondered whether it could be the hydrolysed collagen, and so two days ago I stopped taking it, and all the pain has disappeared. I wondered whether I was overloading my system with too much calcium, but I understand there's no calcium in it. The reviews of the product are excellent. Any thoughts on this?

Regarding Neem for Weight,

As I stated in an earlier post I am also taking Stinging Nettles interchanging with the Neem. The Neem gave me a little fit so I figure its doing most of the work. I give them a break here and there. Also a reminder is that when I first lost the weight I did make some eating changes. Now that being said, even though I have petty much slipped back to my old ways the weight has remained off. I am still two sizes down. I still plan to cut down on certain foods again to start losing weight again. A lot of stress going on around here so I have not gotten to diet changes yet, but walking slimmer than last year.

HisJewel

Great ideas.

Hi Shirley...yes, raw is always best! However I still received great benefits from making it into tea form by simmering it for 10 min or so. I've always felt it's okay to do this to root/tuber vegetables ever since I read a research article by Dr. Greger (who wrote 'How Not to Die') showing that sweet potatoes retain more nutrients via boiling compared to steaming or baking surprisingly. I only do this for the root veggies however...

http://nutritionfacts.org/2015/11/24/is-it-better-to-bake-boil-or-steam-sweet-potatoes/

Ginger in it's raw form is the best, not heated. Heating it destroys the best part of it. Candied ginger is just a bunch of unneeded sugar. It doesn't even have a texture similar to ginger. I don't get it. Fresh ginger juice is out of this world!!! RAW RAW RAW!!

I'm of normal weight usually but have a tendency to add pounds when I stop working out and eating poorly. Just this month I did just that...due to a terrible sinus infection I didn't work out for 3 weeks (normally I work out 3x/wk) and ate poorly...sweets, no fruits/vegetables, etc. Normally my diet includes a huge salad each day and eggs for breakfast, etc. This time I was eating leftover brownies (for breakfast! ) and was too tired from being sick to make my salads, so no veggies at all. And...I had already gained a few extra pounds prior to getting sick.

But I constantly ate ginger for those 3 weeks to help with my sinus infection. Once I got better and made it to the gym weeks later...I braced myself once I got on the scale, preparing myself for the news since I was already a few pounds over...so knew it was now doubled. Shockingly...I had lost 4 pounds!! (That's a lot for me as I'm about 120lbs, 5'3")

I kept thinking it was the scale but it's the same scale I always used. Then I noticed how lean my arms were and knew it was real.

I racked my brain for what supplements I was taking consistently that might cause that and realized it was the ginger. I had ACV and iodine and Vit C occasionally...but it was ginger all day every day for weeks.

I googled Ginger and weight loss as soon as I got home just to see...and sure enough the articles are there.

I used fresh ginger and went through several good size roots. I would slice off the skin (to avoid pesticides) and then cut about 3 pieces an inch or two long...and a couple millimeters thick (so a few thin, 1-2 inch long pieces). I would simmer them for 10-15min in a few cups of filtered water and drink it hot like that or add a green tea bag (for my morning cup) and drink it as ginger-green tea (I never added honey or anything else). Sometimes I'd do that twice a day.Then I would also EAT the boiled ginger pieces throughout the day. I sort of gnawed on them as I worked (they helped with my cough and opened my sinuses). By the 3rd week (b/c I was back at work and didn't have time to boil ginger tea

Then I would also EAT the boiled ginger pieces throughout the day. I sort of gnawed on them as I worked (they helped with my cough and opened my sinuses). By the 3rd week (b/c I was back at work and didn't have time to boil ginger tea so I was just taking small slices of the raw ginger and eating them straight like that...chewing gently to ease into the burn...maybe just 1 inch of the raw, uncooked per day.

Hope this helps someone. I think many ways of preparing the ginger will work...and it's portable so can go anywhere. Just slice it ahead of time. I never tried adding honey or the crystallized versions...just the raw.

Hi. Yes, ACV can be great for you but just like all good things, too much can be bad. A proper amount of ACV can help balance the body's ph levels, especially in the bladder, and help the body metabolize certain things. Just like in the pet section for incontinence and thyroid issues though, too much ACV for people can throw the balance too far to the alkaline and cause infection too. Wisdom and caution, prudence and proportion with all things. Blessings to all.

Good Morning Everyone, As I awoke this morning I remembered what I am sure is an important detail in the first 21 days of losing weight.

Most mornings I only had hot water for breakfast. Some morning's I had tea or coffee. That's it just the hot drink.

My first meal was lunch, I don't think I noted it, but with dinner, I had plenty of cooked greens. For evening settling a fruit snack or hot drink was the best I could do.

I expected to lose water weight, but did not really know I lost weight till my clothes got loose. I did not weight my self. I got weighted at the doctors office. That's why originally said two sizes down.

All these weight notes to you are because I usually gain my weight right back. But even though I have added a limited amount of the other foods back, one or two of the prior mentioned supplements or teas has been working to keep the weight off.

Hisjewel

Happy Mothers Day, Mothers! I decided to stop a moment here and update my update.

I got an good report from the doctor. I do not go to the doctor often, but I do go for my yearly check up and when it is absolutely necessary. Kidneys good, liver good, blood pressure bad, had a tendency of running high was 119/60. My blood sugar was still borderline and so was my cholesterol.

Now, what you want to know is that I lost 20 pounds from the middle of March to the present. Now trying to remember all the details right does not always happen with me. But I do know that I was doing a 21 day prayer consecration, during which I cut out basically bread, rice and flour, thought sometimes I had some wheat bread, but not daily. I cut down on how much sugar I use in my tea.

You want to know the truth right? I did eat french fries. Had to laugh there. But I did not eat the burger. My meat was either chicken or tuna.

Just to give you a line of of the supplements that I stuck to during this time. Cayenne Pepper and Ginger daily, which I was taking for my circulation and heart. Manganese which I was taking once a week get rid of hair balls, Stinging Nettle to grow my hair and found out it was good for circulation and weight lost too, and Neem which I actually give credit for maintaining the weight lost, because it regulates blood sugar etc.

There are a few other supplements I take but only as needed.

We can do this. Now to not go back to the Junk. You know today is Mother's Day so I did a lot of cheating. Which way to the GYM?

BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS

I noticed that the mention of the moody feeling I get when drinking the Neem tea was rated as Better but with side effects. So I thought perhaps someone may want to know if there were any other side effects.

After the first day of taking the Neem, I began to feel stings as if I were about to break out in a rash. it was similar to the feeling that I got when I took the borax for a month, so I concluded that it was die off because of my experience with the borax.

Mind you I drink a lot of water while taking Neem tea. After 12 days of taking the Neem I took a break from it. The stinging stopped, I never got a rash, perhaps because I cut down to a third cup of the Tea. Also when I started back taking the Neem no more stinging. The stings did not return.

The other side effect was a very light headache.

The many benefits I got from drinking the Neem tea out weight the side effects so I just take breaks from drinking the tea. Some suggest weeks. but I only drink a little bit, so I just skip a few days. and start again.

Not only have I lost weight (2 sizes Down), I don't have to depend solely on the baking soda any more to kill a UTI infection. The Neem has helped to regulate my blood sugar.

When you read up on Neem, you are advised to check with your doctor if you have diabetes, because Neem may lower your blood sugar.

I know Neem helped with my blood sugar, because usually when I eat sweets I have to run for the baking soda and Molasses.

I will have a confirmation soon, I do have a doctor's visit scheduled.

"Yes Neem tea tastes terrible! " But it works great!

Correction, I meant to say Neem has been said to lower blood sugar. This is one of the reason to read up on it before you start taking it. You do not want your blood sugar to drop too low.

Weight Loss:

Neem Tea will do it if you can forgive it for tasting terrible. Was and am taking it for my hair. Not only did it help me keep the wait off the weight I lost from a Prayer consecration, It continues to take off the pounds. I did cut down on the starches and sweets, but I have done that before and still did not loose weight.

Perhaps the Neem Tea works because it never gives up on it job of being a diuretic. You have to drink plenty of water, like a gallon or more. If you don't your kidneys will be over drained.

I only drink one third cup a day. You must read up on Neem if you decide to go this way because it has a habit of lowering blood pressure . It is also used as a birth control pill. Yes you really need to check up on this one. It helps to heal wounds. I have some sores I had been opening and closing for years, because I love to pick at them when I am stressed. Now I can't picked at them they healed!

Well this is about weight loss, but read up before you drink up.

BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS

You may need to take 800 IU of Vitamin E with the Neem if you choose to use Neem for Weight Loss or whatever. It sometimes make me feel irritable. When I take the Vitamin E I do not have that problem.

It is better to take the Vitamin E before you leave the house, or put the whole bottle in your pocket, lest someone steps on your toes during a mood swing.

I realize this is an old post, but wanted to respond for other people reading. I would guess the craving for salt is due to the potassium in the orange juice, which is not a negative. My understanding is potassium and sodium need to be balanced in the body; an increase in one can create a craving in the other. Wishing good health to us all.

I've only tried ACV & water twice & both times I've had a headache. I do 1 tsp of ACV in 6 oz water at night before bed. I thought it was stress until I saw your post.

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.

I have been trying to take this apple cider vinegar to lose weight mixed with water and cayenne pepper and lemon juice... But when I do I get a headache.....does it have anything to do with my medicine that I take....bp med latansan, nexium and crestor alliegen med?

Hello,

I have been trying to lose about 8 pounds for the past few years and have been very unsuccessful despite regular exercising and eating a healthy diet. I had been taking lugol's iodine drops daily on and off for years, but decided to switch to potassium iodide tablets I had in the cabinet that I had ordered after the Fukushima nuclear disaster (but never tried).

A few weeks after starting on the potassium iodide, I got on the scale and noticed I had dropped 7 pounds. I couldn't believe it. After trying so hard to lose weight for years, it came off with no work.

I take 1 potassium iodide tablet (32.5 mg per tablet) once a day. Morning or night, doesn't matter. On days I fly and go through x-ray security machines, I take two tablets.

Lately I have felt I don't need to take the iodide every day and now take it every 2-3 days. My weight has not gone up. I think that the potassium iodide gave my thyroid what it needed and thus sped up my metabolism. Yippee!!

I really hope this helps people who have similarly tried many remedies, diets or exercise with no success.

P.S. I could not find a large bottle of potassium iodide on amazon when I ran out of my first bottle, they only sell small batches for nuclear disaster preparedness kits for some reason. Search "potassium iodide tablets" on google and you'll see websites that sell 120 tablets for under $10. I got my bottle on iherb. It lasts a long time!

I have been on a weight loss plan (diet and exercise) for the past 8 months, losing weight slowly and steadily. I had been taking a tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) with dinner for months as a general tonic. After reading all of the great things that ACV can do here on EC, I upped the dose to 2 tablespoons in a glass of water, several times a day (3 to 4 time a day). I started to feel it in my teeth at that dose, so I recalled reading on Earth Clinic that adding baking soda to the ACV will help prevent the wearing down of the enamel on the teeth, but won't diminish the effectiveness of the ACV. So I started adding a little baking soda (I mean a little...I used the handle of the measuring spoon to scoop a little out...I'm guessing about 1/8 teaspoon or less).

Since I had been dieting already, weighing and measuring my food, and nothing had changed, and I know what kind of weight loss to expect, I was surprised at a sudden loss of fat around my midsection. I was trying to figure out what caused the sudden drop and the only thing different was the addition of the baking soda (I had been taking the ACV for months already, and the increased dose for weeks). So I kept taking the baking soda and I continue to have faster weight loss results with the baking soda, although it has only been a few weeks. For people already dieting, I think that taking a little baking soda, or baking soda with ACV is a worthwhile addition to your plan. I would take more, but I actually like the taste of ACV and I don't want to eliminate the flavor entirely. :)

In the last 8 months, I lost about 35 pounds, but an additional 3 pounds in the past week and a half. I lost 7 inches off my waist during that time, and an additional 1/2 inch in the past week and a half. Results are supposed to slow down, not accelerate, the longer you are on a diet plan. Not too bad for a 49 y.o. guy. I may try adding more baking soda by itself (as to not ruin the flavor of my ACV.).

Thanks,

Will

I, too, am wondering how things went for Jesse. I'm grateful she posted her story, though.

I read this story 4 days ago and have been following her instructions. I lost 3 lbs in 3 days and went up a little last night. These are preliminary results and I'm not worried about that.

My problem is that I'm wired. I used to nap in the afternoons, which I LOVED, but not only am I not napping, I'm not sleeping very long at night. Some people might like this, but I don't. I like getting plenty of sleep. It adds to the quality of my social interactions as I'm more relaxed and have a better sense of fun and humor when I'm getting more sleep.

Does anyone have any experience or advice regarding this? I may try BSM instead of honey and see if the different minerals help with sleeping.

TIA for any info if you have experience with this.

I am here to give a resounding NAY for cinnamon for weight loss. I had already lost 15 pounds by tracking my caloric intake with a free app on my phone. I thought adding cinnamon might help shed the last few pounds. Well *pay attention* if you decide to take cinnamon. I added only a tiny pinch to my morning coffee each day. It was delicious! But after 6 weeks of this I was so constipated that my abdomen was having sharp cramps through the day. That is when I learned that cinnamon is also used as an anti-diarrhea supplement. Results may vary, of course. My husband can take turmeric every day and still have regular bm's but my system is way more sensitive apparently because both cinnamon and turmeric stop me up.

I agree with Michelle, ACV cures yeast and it cleared up my candida. Check your diet.

WARNING!

Evidently, there are good scientific reasons to think that especially the prolonged use of garcinia cambogia extract increases the risk of diabetes in healthy people and worsens the disease in existing diabetics (described rather in detail in the scholarly report at How Garcinia Cambogia Side Effects Increase The Diabetes Risk).

Several of the physiological processes that product is accomplish that overlap with statin drugs which are clearly implicated with notably causing diabetes because both agents inhibit the production of cholesterol in the body.

I am the person who changes diets about every two weeks. If I stop I usually gain my weight right back. What I will say about Green Coffee Beans is has help me to hold on to the weight that I already lost. When I noticed that I did not lose weight while still using green coffee beans supplements during the Christmas and New Years holidays, I was disappointed. But when I realized I did not gain my comfortable weight back either, I continued to take them when I am between diets. This way I am not starting from my old weight when I move to my next diet.

The secret of losing weight is to buy a juicer and a liquidiser and to eat as much as possible of your food RAW. I bought my first juicer about 40 years ago, and took to drinking two or three glasses of vegetable juice a day (carrot, celery, cucumber etc: the softer vegetables are better liquidised). The weight simply fell off - which I wasn't even expecting - and has stayed off. I could almost say you don't have to make ANY other alterations to your diet - I mean there's no need to cut out your favourite treats entirely, though it would be wise to cut DOWN on them - and don't let yourself get hungry. Avocados, bananas, etc are fine: rawness is all.

For non-salad-lovers like me juicing and liquidising have been perfect, since one can get all the good stuff down in just a few gulps.

I have only been doing this for a week now. I feel so much better. I use raw honey and some times put ginger in it. So glad you posted this because today I did not bring any in my water. I thought that maybe I was silly. Now I know I am not and starting when I get home will do this from now on

Hi Mary,

Years ago I went on a low fat diet and lost about 10 pounds. It was fantastic until the day when I craved and I mean CRAVED butter. I had to eat a couple tablespoons of butter before the pangs went away. But I realized after that experience that a low fat diet was not a wise diet for my body and that I had probably lost critical fat cells needed in my brain. So I just think it's your body (perhaps brain) trying to rebuild after a critical loss. I have friends who have done the HCG diet and have heard similar complaints after it's over. I recently read about how fat is essential to the brain and that people who go on low fat diets risk dementia as they age.

I wouldn't let trial and error humiliate you. Trying takes courage. 3- family members also went this route and had the same experience you are having. I think as we age our hormones lessen and finding the right supplements for your needs might help. I feel stronger when I use a fragment of Dhea, trying to figure out how to avoid the mustache :-(

BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS

Hi: I am wondering if anyone has had the same experience as me. Did HCG diet and lost 20 lbs. When on it, it was easy to keep the weight off, but when I stopped taking the HCG the weight is coming back. and I cannot get enough fat. I am binging on fat. I am so humiliated. I thought I fixed this awful weight problem but AM HAVING TROUBLE WITH EATING TOO MUCH NOW. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Is it safe to take Garcinia Cambogia for 3 weeks without causing serious liver damage? What is the most effective way to take this product?

Hi there,
I'm no expert but ironically have just been reading up on soy products and the effects they can have in our bodies. According to a few sources it contains the hormone eostrogen, the female hormone which can encourage the body to hold onto fat. What is your understanding of soy lecithin regarding positive effects for weight loss? I'm familiar with this as an ingredient included in sugar free chocolate. I've always avoided it and anything soy related ever since I underwent some training on acne management, learning it can trigger flare ups. I worry about encouragement of any increase of hormones in the body, mainly due to a higher risk of cancer. Interested in the theory of soy promoting weight loss! - Nat

For women: Excess estrogen can lead to excess weight. High estrogen levels can lead to weight gain and make it very difficult to lose weight. Estrogen is stored in fat cells. The more fat cells you have, the higher your estrogen levels will be, the higher your estrogen levels, the more fat your body will retain. It can be a frustrating cycle.

One way to naturally balance this hormone is to reduce your intake of phytoestrogens (a naturally occurring plant chemical that can mimic the female hormone estrogen when consumed).

One of the biggest culprits of phytoestrogens is SOY and related soy products, including soy lecithin (found in nearly every chocolate treat). Don't fret, there are soy free options for chocolate, though.

Strictly limiting your intake of soy can give your body the opportunity to release and eliminate the excess estrogen that builds up over time. Less estrogen = less fat retention.

While soy does contain essential Omega-3 fatty acids, there are many other options to get the same Omega-3s in your diet.

This was suggested by a trained nutritionist as part of the first step in any weight loss plan.

ACV cures yeast/ fungus, sugar and flour cause yeast, please check your diet.

I just have to share this. Even though I have taught Hatha Yoga most of my adult life, I was unable to lose the fertility goddess marks, namely belly fat and heavy boobs. Even though at another time in history, that was alright.

Then, on becoming vegan and shunning wheat and gluten, in about four months I lost it! Now I can crunch a bra in one fist, and fittings are a problem of the past. All this due to education on EC!

It feels great ladies! . Namaste, Om

Be careful with the amount of ACV you put in your water. I started out doing 2 tps in water 3 times a day and it gave me a yeast infection. Honestly I have never felt any health benefits from ACV. When I have stopped drinking it for a few months I feel no different.

Get your random blood sugar tested too. This tea has nothing to do with increased frequency of urination.