Anybody do any unusual/extreme diets?

Well I've been struggling with weight ever since quitting smoking and getting my ileostomy 3 years ago. I have lost my weight limiting my calories and walking everyday. I struggle very badly with wanting to eat chocolate.

I went on a severe calorie restrictive diet of 800 calories a day to get the weight off quick and walking 5 miles a day. Yes this worked but I lost muscle mass too so I would not recommend this.

I am still craving sugar though. I have yet to get that under control.

Before I was diagnosed with UC and having a flare (before I had any idea what IBD was) I started an elimination diet. I did not know what was going on but figured it had something to do with food. I went for an allergy test and found out I was extremely allergic to tomatoes, which explained why I felt so bad after certain meals. For one month I only ate apples, oranges, oatmeal, chicken, fish, rice, potatoes. I kept a food journal of EVERY thing I ate, including amounts, times and how I was feeling and flaring. After that month i started adding one food a time every 5 days, I would eat a bit of the new food every day for 5 days and journal how it changed my bm and uc symptoms. If the addition was not affecting me negatively I added it to my list of safe foods and if I was not sure I would wait and try again in a few weeks. I did not start the diet with the intention of losing weight. I knew that I was a sugar addict (still am) and that food had to be somehow related to my tummy troubles. I kept up the diet and journal for one year until I had added every food that i used to eat regularly. I did find that there were trigger foods that caused me to feel worse (milk, cheese, peppers, beans and lettuce especially) and IF i stayed away from those I could help my uc symptoms a bit.

I lost 50 lbs in that year. After that i stopped the journal and had a good idea of what I could and could not eat. It was easier to eat the things I should not as I didn't have the guilt of writing in the book and gained some of that weight back in the next 3 years. I did find my taste buds changed when I was eating clean and I did not crave sugar as much, that i found an Apple to be sweet enough. It helped with my uc symptoms. And i realized how many extra things we eat that add calories without realizing. Sometimes it is not an extreme diet that is needed but a good look at what you put into your mouth that will help you to lose weight.

My brother and his wife did a 10 day cleanse (drinking only water with cayenne pepper and maybe eating soup made with cabbage?). I remember we had to cancel a family dinner because they were fasting, both took vacation days from work to do it.

I thought it was just bizarre. They go thru fads, now they take daily vitamins made with vegetable and fruit extracts, they buy them directly from a sales rep and strongly encouraged me to order them (pyramid based company no doubt). I said no thank you!

But lately I've developed a spare tire around my middle and I've been a size 8 for years after my colon resection. Now I'm between a 12 and 14 and I HATE it. I'm scrambling to find capri's and clothes that fit me well right now.

Anyway, read a tip in a woman's magazine, if you want to lose a few quick pounds, and reduce bloating: boil 2 cups of water, remove from burner, add 2 lemons, halved and juice squeezed into water. Throwing in lemon halves. Allow this to steep and cool enough to drink. Strain and drink this 3 times a day (total of 6 cups of lemon juice water). It does seem to make my stomach pouch go down a bit. The article stated that for photo shoots, models (already rail thin), drink up to 8 cups of hot lemon water each day to get into dresses. You must drink this water while warm to hot, the temp you'd sip hot tea, for example.

Post Edited (Marsky) : 5/4/2013 9:45:45 PM (GMT-6)

Well,
I am already gluten free due to celiac.. BUT, we did just watch that video "Fat, sick and nearly dead"...IT was AMAZING! I am actually waiting for my juicer to come. Then I am going to try the juice reboot for 5 days. I am doing this for several reasons...
1~ For the last couple months (especially the last few weeks) I feel super bloated.. and want to really cleanse out.
2~ I just feel like a good cleanse of all the toxic foods would be a good thing for me, as after my surgery, I could only process junk and sugar easily..so that is what I have subsisted on for almost a year now. I want to get back to eating real foods, and feeling better. I have not put on any weight...on the contrary, I am at the EXACT same weight I was at when I was discharged from my surgery.
3~My daughter (11 years old) watched the video with us and said she wants to do this to feel better and get the toxic stuff out of her system too.

I have never blogged, but I am going to start one when I do this. I think it would be interesting since we ALL have medical issues. My husband is a severe diabetic, our daughter had kidney issues, and I have celiac and my colectomy... SO, how this effects us all will be interesting.
I'll let you know when that happens :)

It's a lifestyle change, not a diet, that will help. It took me MANY years, but I only shop the outer aisles of the grocery store and if it comes prepared, I don't buy it.

I exercise A LOT and keep track of what I eat on an app on my iphone. Like summerstorm said, the only true way is to eat less calories than what you burn.

I have never felt better (even tho I went out for pizza with my daughter tonight AND I have a Jelly Belly addiction) and my daughter even admits that when she watches what she eats she feels so much better (and she's 18, teenagers don't usually admit that!)

Just remember, some fad diets could cause dehydration...I would suggest going the RD route before going to the fad diet/marketing diet schemes. It's not an overnight answer/success so don't expect overnight results. Good Luck!