SparkPoints: (128,770)
Fitness Minutes: (101,085)
Posts: 13,972
12/31/12 4:05 P

Stage One: Prepare for permanent weight management.
The first step of the plan lasts 7 days and allows you to determine how many steps you take each day. You will wear a pedometer and log your total steps each day in the handy chart in the book. At the end of the week, you will calculate the average steps per day. This will help you determine your daily goals and changes you will make. During this period, you will also keep a food log and assess your eating habits. You are not cutting back, you are just keeping a record.

Stage Two: Stop gaining weight.
This two week period helps you learn to control your weight by balancing your calories in with your calories out. You must follow this stage even if you are not currently gaining weight, as it lays the foundation for both losing the weight and keeping it off later.

Stage Three: Set your personal weight management goals.
The only time necessary for this stage is the length of time it takes to read the chapter. You will learn how to create a realistic goal, and how to track your progress.

Stage Four: Make small changes to lose weight.
This is the core period during which you make small changes in how much you eat, and how many steps you take each day. You will learn how to cut back your food intake by eating only 75% of your usual serving sizes, without changing your food preferences. You will learn many ways of increasing your steps to reach your daily goal of 10,000 steps. This stage lasts 12 weeks, no longer. Once you finish this period, you must follow the next stage to learn how to maintain any weight loss you achieved so far. Once you can do that, then you begin a new 12 week period to resume weight loss. Repeat as necessary.

Stage Five: Find your personal energy balance point.
This four week period teaches you how to maintain your weight loss. You will learn how to balance the energy you eat with the energy you burn. You must follow this stage even if you did not lose all the weight you wanted to lose in Stage Four. While it make take you longer to reach your goal, this strategy has proven more successful in helping people maintain their weight loss permanently.

Stage Six
You will learn to refine your energy balance skills to ensure life long weight loss success.

If you have more weight to lose, go back to Stage Three and set a new goal, then complete Four, Five, and Six again.

current weight: 268.0

316 268.25 220.5 172.75

125

SparkPoints: (128,770)
Fitness Minutes: (101,085)
Posts: 13,972
12/1/12 10:18 P

You're doing great to start on 3, TravelFan. Sorry you were sick!

current weight: 268.0

316 268.25 220.5 172.75

125

Posts: 7,107
11/28/12 8:19 P

Tomorrow I am stating Step III. I would have started one week earlier, but i had the flu and very sick so I could not eat or walk. I am ready to start.

Posts: 26
6/22/12 9:03 P

This is great

SparkPoints: (128,770)
Fitness Minutes: (101,085)
Posts: 13,972
1/6/12 9:06 P

I love The Step Diet, it is so practical with logically progressing steps.

current weight: 268.0

316 268.25 220.5 172.75

125

Posts: 33,952
11/20/11 3:14 P

I like this approach with 12 weeks of losing and 4 weeks of maintaining to stabilize the progress - thanks for posting it!

Pounds lost: 17.5

0 8.75 17.5 26.25

35

SparkPoints: (128,770)
Fitness Minutes: (101,085)
Posts: 13,972
9/27/11 10:40 A

Stage One: Prepare for permanent weight management.
The first step of the plan lasts 7 days and allows you to determine how many steps you take each day. You will wear a pedometer and log your total steps each day in the handy chart in the book. At the end of the week, you will calculate the average steps per day. This will help you determine your daily goals and changes you will make. During this period, you will also keep a food log and assess your eating habits. You are not cutting back, you are just keeping a record.

Stage Two: Stop gaining weight.
This two week period helps you learn to control your weight by balancing your calories in with your calories out. You must follow this stage even if you are not currently gaining weight, as it lays the foundation for both losing the weight and keeping it off later.

Stage Three: Set your personal weight management goals.
The only time necessary for this stage is the length of time it takes to read the chapter. You will learn how to create a realistic goal, and how to track your progress.

Stage Four: Make small changes to lose weight.
This is the core period during which you make small changes in how much you eat, and how many steps you take each day. You will learn how to cut back your food intake by eating only 75% of your usual serving sizes, without changing your food preferences. You will learn many ways of increasing your steps to reach your daily goal of 10,000 steps. This stage lasts 12 weeks, no longer. Once you finish this period, you must follow the next stage to learn how to maintain any weight loss you achieved so far. Once you can do that, then you begin a new 12 week period to resume weight loss. Repeat as necessary.

Stage Five: Find your personal energy balance point.
This four week period teaches you how to maintain your weight loss. You will learn how to balance the energy you eat with the energy you burn. You must follow this stage even if you did not lose all the weight you wanted to lose in Stage Four. While it make take you longer to reach your goal, this strategy has proven more successful in helping people maintain their weight loss permanently.

Stage Six
You will learn to refine your energy balance skills to ensure life long weight loss success.

If you have more weight to lose, go back to Stage Three and set a new goal, then complete Four, Five, and Six again.

current weight: 268.0

316 268.25 220.5 172.75

125