HerbalMagic

[jsttaylor]

I'm on the fence about trying this out. Has anyone done it? I'd like to hear about success or failure stories, whether it was worth it, do you recommend it, and what kind of cost are we looking at? I need to drop my extra 30 and with my joint injuries (knee&shoulder) the gym isn't working out right now.
Thanks

[jeffc]

hmmm, it's got the name magic in the title. that alone should tell you what you need to know. are you doing lots of cardio? eating healthy (be honest)? I find the older I get the intake is about 75% of the equation.

[jvincent]

Several years ago a friend of my wife convinced her to try something similar. By extension, I was roped into trying it. Summary below:

1. Tasted like crap.
2. Didn't work.

If you notice my signature, I can tell you what has worked. I bought a rowing machine in Jan. I am down 28 lbs since then. Not sure how your shoulder/knee would handle rowing but it's zero impact exercise.

30 minutes per day, 4-5 days a week and you are golden.

[Nat Williams]

There's no real secrets to weight loss. Eat healthy, exercise. Anything promising you results w/ limited effort are ripoffs, or unhealthy.

[rpangman]

My wife looked into it once and found that the Canadian Food Guide is what they use, plus some expensive pills that probably don't do much.

[DenisO]

Really easy.
1) Calculate the amount of calories your body burns per day
2) Consume 500 less calories than the amount above
3) Lose a couple pounds per week

If you need exercise to help you because you eat too many calories then so be it, but it's pretty basic either way. Just do it
Hell, you can lose weight on an all twinkie diet if you wanted to.

[quinner]

I had lost 16 lbs over the winter by dedicating myself to a workout regiment (an hour a day on P90X or playing basketball) and following the Men's Health Belly off eating matrix. Like the dudes above said...what you eat is key.

[Samba-Jane]

i don't think these kind of things work.. as what Nat Williams said healthy living is the thing that'll make you lose weight.. you also have to have the will-power.. and i heard it is expensive..

[Sparkplug]

All good advice. While excercise and diet are both important, diet outweighs excercise.

I would try a nutitionist they will set you srtaight with a decent plan and you will feel better. You might be suprised at what you can eat.

I have got 2 elite competitive athletes in my family (not me, I used to be in my youger days) and they transformed themselves dramatically. For the 200-300 you spend its well worth it. One went from 205 to 175. the other is in growth mode and has reduced body fat to 8%.

The food is readily available (regular grocery store) and easy to prepare; no weird stuff.

There are a number of good ones in the city but we were were directed to Bruce Bonner.

[Kiwi]

Started a diet with a competative plan almost 10 weeks ago. Started at 204, 190 now. Slow loss, about 1.5 lbs a week but it has been steady for the most part, some weeks more than others, depending on how physical I was. Feeling good and lots more energy. It is simple to follow, once you get used to tracking what you take in, and what you burn. One side benefit is that I now read all the Nutritional Value labels on packages and there are many options for most types of food that are healthier and taste the same, or better. It is basic, as stated earlier, burn more than you take in and you will lose. Read a recent review, in the paper I believe, of 5-6 major plans, and the one I am on is the only one that stresses physical exercise as a major part of the plan. I have to disagree with the person who said that diet takes priority over exercise. You can be thin without being fit, and fit without being thin. If you want both, then you have to do both. As for your injuries restricting you, there are lots of alternatives, including the pool and cycling in or outside. I have arthritis in both shoulders and cannot do the crawl, but there are lots of other activities in the pool that will burn calories and get the cardio up. Wear a flotation belt and jog in the deep end. Depending on the knee issue, cycling may be an option. A stationary bike with an upright position may lessen any pressure on the shoulder joint. Good luck!

[Sunny D]

Know someone who owns a franchise, they are essentially a marketing machine. Weight loss is through diet. Maybe the pills help maybe they are placebo.

I had a weight issue a few years ago and went to Bernstein. That is a medically supervised and based on the ketonic diet. You will loose weight and you will loose it fast. In my case I was pre-diabetic and needed to shed weight fast. Went to Bernstein lost the weight. Just around 30 pounds in about 5 weeks. Then went to a nutricianist to re-learn how and what to eat. I would not recommmend Berstein alone, you are likely to throw the weight back on unless you re-learn what to eat. That is where IMO a nutricianist is key. Between the two it worked for me.

[leftylucas]

I followed the Canadian Food Guide, ate really well and dropped 18 lbs from Jan 1 to mid Feb, gradual and kept it off. You will lose more if you do some exercise a few times a week as well but remember to fuel up first!

[jsttaylor]

Thanks all for your tips.

Please close this thread.