| gettingmylifeback
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I've been seeing more and more advertisements for the Bernstein diet and am wondering if any of you have tried it or know anything about it.
I know of one person's experience and I have read some pretty negative reviews but I am still curious about other people's experience with it.
Anything you could share would be appreciated. |
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Sat Jan 27, 2007 10:54 pm |
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| RedRox
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| I looked at it once out of curiosity. Seemed pretty extreme in terms of how regulated and specific it was. The "no alcohol" was kind of the deal breaker for me! ;) Don't remember any of the specifics about it other than that. I'm sure you could search on it and get an overview of it. |
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Sun Jan 28, 2007 4:36 pm |
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| farleywilbur
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It is a crazy program which cuts your calorie intake to near starvation levels and then they have you come in for b12 shots. I know a few people who lost a lot of weight on it and then put it all back on VERY quickly once off the program.
It's also quite expensive. |
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Mon Feb 12, 2007 5:22 pm |
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| Lisa0825
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I am going to a similar clinic tonight for my first visit. This clinic lets you choose between several ways of eating, including South Beach, and keeps you at 1000-1200 calories. They give B12/6 shots with amino acids called "lipotropic." They also give HCG shots and Myoden (AMP) shots and prescribe phentermine if you want it. I know several people who have been to this clinic and all have lost weight rapidly, had great energy levels, and really liked the plan. One girl lost 70 pounds in just under 6 months.
I have been doing a lot of reading on this, and the studies I have read have been about 50/50, so I don't know if it's that good or not. My coworkers said that their energy levels were GREAT, and they felt so good that they WANTED to get more exercise, but it was not like the stimulant effect of ephedra.
This website has info about taking HCG orally, but remember, they advocate it, so it is definitely not unbiased:
http://hcgobesity.org/
A lot of people on this site are going to this type of clinic:
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/WeightLoss/wwwboard.html
and these
http://www.topix.net/forum/health/TLL4C98LM26BLPIKG/p5
http://mydietsolutions.com/forum/index.php
http://www.topix.net/forum/health/TLL4C98LM26BLPIKG/p1
I know I have been losing weight quite slowly, so once I start this, it will be interesting to see if it does start shedding faster.
I have really been having problems with my energy level since starting a second job, and that probably does affect my exercise, so I am looking forward to the b12 shots. |
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Mon Feb 26, 2007 7:20 pm |
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| Lisa0825
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A couple more points....
It is really not THAT expensive, at least around here. The first office visit is $85. Each week it is $20 for the shot visit. I'm not sure how much the phentermine is if one chooses to take it.
Jenny Craig, Quick Weight Loss Centers, Nutrisystem, etc all probably cost that much or more between food, supplements, etc.
Additionally, it's not a "crazy" diet. Very Low Calorie Diets with supplements and vitmains have been studied for at least 50 years. It is supervised by a doctor. It may not be everyobody's cup of tea, but then I wouldn't opt for a lap band or stapling myself, and many people do well with those too.
Different strokes, ya know?:-) |
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Mon Feb 26, 2007 7:47 pm |
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| ladybugnessa
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Lisa0825 wrote: A couple more points....
It is really not THAT expensive, at least around here. The first office visit is $85. Each week it is $20 for the shot visit. I'm not sure how much the phentermine is if one chooses to take it.
Jenny Craig, Quick Weight Loss Centers, Nutrisystem, etc all probably cost that much or more between food, supplements, etc.
Additionally, it's not a "crazy" diet. Very Low Calorie Diets with supplements and vitmains have been studied for at least 50 years. It is supervised by a doctor. It may not be everyobody's cup of tea, but then I wouldn't opt for a lap band or stapling myself, and many people do well with those too.
Different strokes, ya know?:-)
is there any study that shows the percentage of people who have kept the weight off after 'finishing' any of these plans ? |
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Mon Feb 26, 2007 11:01 pm |
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| LegalBeagle
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I would be extremely wary about taking ANY of those injections. That is just too scary. :shock:
About 10 years ago, I lost 70 lbs in 6 months taking phentermine. It was horrible. I could not sleep at night and I would be up scrubbing floors in the middle of the night (it's a stimulant/upper). Eventually I had to take sleeping pills to sleep at night, so uppers by day, downers by night, HOW HEALTHY, right??? Ridiculous! OF COURSE, once I stopped the phentermine (because it's not meant to be taken long term, read the PDR), I gained all the weight back and then some.
Proceed with caution. Get a doctor's opinion, and NOT one running the program. |
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Tue Feb 27, 2007 12:06 am |
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| Lisa0825
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ladybugnessa wrote: Lisa0825 wrote: A couple more points....
It is really not THAT expensive, at least around here. The first office visit is $85. Each week it is $20 for the shot visit. I'm not sure how much the phentermine is if one chooses to take it.
Jenny Craig, Quick Weight Loss Centers, Nutrisystem, etc all probably cost that much or more between food, supplements, etc.
Additionally, it's not a "crazy" diet. Very Low Calorie Diets with supplements and vitmains have been studied for at least 50 years. It is supervised by a doctor. It may not be everyobody's cup of tea, but then I wouldn't opt for a lap band or stapling myself, and many people do well with those too.
Different strokes, ya know?:-)
is there any study that shows the percentage of people who have kept the weight off after 'finishing' any of these plans ?
I gained all my weight back and more after quitting South Beach 3 years ago. Does that make South Beach bad, or does it just mean I did not do a good job of maintaining my healthy habits?
I know two people personally who have kept their weight off for 2 years. I only just know found out how they lost it. |
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Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:56 am |
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| Lisa0825
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LegalBeagle wrote: I would be extremely wary about taking ANY of those injections. That is just too scary. :shock:
About 10 years ago, I lost 70 lbs in 6 months taking phentermine. It was horrible. I could not sleep at night and I would be up scrubbing floors in the middle of the night (it's a stimulant/upper). Eventually I had to take sleeping pills to sleep at night, so uppers by day, downers by night, HOW HEALTHY, right??? Ridiculous! OF COURSE, once I stopped the phentermine (because it's not meant to be taken long term, read the PDR), I gained all the weight back and then some.
Proceed with caution. Get a doctor's opinion, and NOT one running the program.
You were probably on too high a dose, from the sound of it. She starts people off on a very low dose, and only increases it if it is not working. I do plan to see my own doc in a few weeks, and will run it all by her too.
FWIW, the diet doc is also a family practice doctor, has been for 20 years, and is well regarded in that capacity. The diet clinic is only a portion of her practice.
I had the appointment tonight, and the emphasis was definitely on nutrition and incorporating more activity into daily life, so that if I stop feeling like "working out," I still have better normal daily habits. The medications are for improving results, not the whole deal.
I actually looked all the medications up on Medline while working at the library this week. HCG and AMP have been used for years and have proven safety records. Phentermine on it's own has a good safety record as well. The problems came in when it was combined as Phen-Fen. |
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Tue Feb 27, 2007 3:04 am |
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| CarbQueen
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Lisa -
What about this diet makes you think that you will be able to stick to it and keep the weight off once you are off the shots and the Phentermine?
I am just curious. I know that you said that two people you know have kept it off. But if you also look at the board here there are plenty that are here that have lost and kept it off. It seems to be more about will and less about the actual diet plan I think.
I hope that SB is something that I can continue for life, but I don't know what tomorrow will bring. But I do wish you luck with this and I hope that it works for you. |
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Wed Mar 07, 2007 7:53 pm |
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| Allie74
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| I have a copy of the actual allowed foods list. I followed the diet myself without having the shots. I upped my calcium intake with supplements as well as adding multivitamins. I lost 6 pds a week! I did it for 6 weeks (which was about all I could take) I gained about 10 pounds back within 6 months but I totally went back to my old way of eating which was EVERYTHING. I found the diet to be SO restrictive that I WANTED to cheat ALL the time. If you do it be aware of the impending horrific late night leg cramps, :shock: unless you are really careful to get the calcium and magnesium that you need. It did work..if I had perhaps tried to maintain by not going back to my old habits I may not have gained back what I did. For those who like quick results you will definately get them but it is a very hard to follow plan. |
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Thu Mar 15, 2007 3:08 pm |
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| zynr
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| Shots?! Yikes! Like I'd voluntarilly go for shots I don't need to have to stay healthy. But what caught my eye was "lost the weight fast". That right there will tell ya... it doesn't work. HUGE red flag, that is! Almost guaranteed, most of those people who lost their weight rapidly, reached goal weights... will gain it all back and more. ON SBD, when I reach my goal weight, which is going to take a while, I'll still be eating the same way I am now.. with the occasional larger portion, or treat... but the foods will be the exact same foods I'm eating now. I bet that's not the case with the Bernstein Diet. |
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Thu Mar 15, 2007 3:14 pm |
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| Glendie
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| HCG? The pregnancy hormone???????????????? |
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Thu Mar 15, 2007 6:12 pm |
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| farleywilbur
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Lisa0825 wrote: A couple more points....
Additionally, it's not a "crazy" diet. Very Low Calorie Diets with supplements and vitmains have been studied for at least 50 years. It is supervised by a doctor. It may not be everyobody's cup of tea, but then I wouldn't opt for a lap band or stapling myself, and many people do well with those too.
Different strokes, ya know?:-)
Hey... you are right about different strokes. I just feel that a program that puts a 300 pound man who is over 6 feet tall onto 1000 calories a day or less is a little extreme. Rapid weight loss usually means melting away muscle as much as fat and the rebound effect can be very rapid. |
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Sat Mar 17, 2007 6:02 pm |
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| zynr
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[quote="Lisa0825"]I am going to a similar clinic tonight for my first visit. This clinic lets you choose between several ways of eating, including South Beach, and keeps you at 1000-1200 calories. They give B12/6 shots with amino acids called "lipotropic." They also give HCG shots and Myoden (AMP) shots and prescribe phentermine if you want it. I know several people who have been to this clinic and all have lost weight rapidly, had great energy levels, and really liked the plan. One girl lost 70 pounds in just under 6 months.
Shots: BAD (looks to me to be to the point of ridiculous)
Losting weight fast: BAD, BAD, BAD!!!!! |
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Mon Apr 09, 2007 5:12 pm |
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