What diet has everyone had most success on in the past?

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Joy_n_Almonds
Joy_n_Almonds Posts: 26 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I recently got on the keto train and have gained 5 pounds. I dont think its right for me and wondering if any MFP'ers had any suggestions? What do you think is the best diet out there and Why do you think you were successful with the diet?

Little background:
Single working mom
Sedentary career
Light exercise
Diets that worked in the past were the flat belly diet and atkins. These were also done when i was on a stimulant medication for adhd. I am now off of the meds. I also plan to up my exercise as I joined a new gym opening next month. Very excited for that!

Any suggestions will be appreciated
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Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
    edited December 2015
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    The one that makes you successful. Some people go low carb/keto. Some go paleo. Some cut out certain foods. Some don't change anything (this is the camp I'm in). As long as you're in a calorie deficit (EXTREMELY important!) you'll lose weight, but how you get there is personal preference.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    Calories in, calories out. Find the calorie goal appropriate for your desired healthy weight of loss, then eat to that calorie goal, making sure to get a decent balanced diet, enough protein and fats, and enjoy treats in moderation.

    75lbs down.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    The one that KEPT the weight off.
    In my case: eating slower carb. I eat lots of vegetables (nutrient dense, high fiber carbs), lean meats, good fats including nuts and seeds, legumes, fruit and some whole grains. I strictly limit heavily refined (nutrient poor, low fiber) carbs.

    For ME eating this way makes me feel like I'm working WITH rather than against my body. It makes it all so much easier.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    the eat less move more diet......
  • mylittlerainbow
    mylittlerainbow Posts: 822 Member
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    Diet Center - the others I tried (Medifast, South Beach) all worked but then it was harder to transition back to normal eating afterwards. Diet Center was limited to 950 calories (my calculated amount at my height, weight, age, activity level is around 1000, but of course MFP puts a floor at 1200) and gives you tablets that keep you from being hungry. Normal food but smaller quantities and lots of water. Maintained until I got into a stressful life situation and started overeating.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    mylittlerainbow wrote: »
    Diet Center - the others I tried (Medifast, South Beach) all worked but then it was harder to transition back to normal eating afterwards. Diet Center was limited to 950 calories (my calculated amount at my height, weight, age, activity level is around 1000, but of course MFP puts a floor at 1200) and gives you tablets that keep you from being hungry. Normal food but smaller quantities and lots of water. Maintained until I got into a stressful life situation and started overeating.

    Isn't the goal of south beach NOT to transition back to what you used to do?
    I hope you find what works for you and lets you eat enough. Good luck!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Joy_n_Almonds wrote: »
    I recently got on the keto train and have gained 5 pounds. I dont think its right for me and wondering if any MFP'ers had any suggestions? What do you think is the best diet out there and Why do you think you were successful with the diet?

    Little background:
    Single working mom
    Sedentary career
    Light exercise
    Diets that worked in the past were the flat belly diet and atkins. These were also done when i was on a stimulant medication for adhd. I am now off of the meds. I also plan to up my exercise as I joined a new gym opening next month. Very excited for that!

    Any suggestions will be appreciated

    a calorie deficit....
  • ultrahoon
    ultrahoon Posts: 467 Member
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    The slow and steady, very basic, very few restrictions of CICO.

    Slow and steady wins the race for me.
  • MommyL2015
    MommyL2015 Posts: 1,411 Member
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    The non-diet diet. The only change I've made to what I eat is how much of it I eat. And I move more.
  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
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    Using the bodies natural immutable rule that fat loss results from consuming less calories than you use.

    I do this however my mood takes me at any given time.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    Eating my normal foods but reducing calories intake.
    Concentrating on hitting my protein goal and getti.g several servings of vegetables or fruits a day.
  • Peeperpat
    Peeperpat Posts: 18 Member
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    CICO has worked for me!! A daily balance of nutrients & 8-10 glasses of water, as prescribed by my Dietician. More daily movement also.
  • Bbeliever215
    Bbeliever215 Posts: 234 Member
    edited December 2015
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    I have tried low carb and cleanses which I failed miserably because I love carbs and sweets. What works for me is limiting my sweet tooth by indulging weekly, otherwise it's more veggies and fruits, and meat. I used to be vegetarian then vegan many moons ago and the only reason why my diet changed was due to the constant travel for work. I just could make good nutritional and ethical choices after a while. I am also into fitness which helps with burning calories.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »
    the eat less move more diet......

    Yep. MFP worked great for me.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
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    I don't buy into diets . I know that weight loss comes down to calories. Unless someone has a medical condition, it makes no difference what foods they pick. As long as your eating less then you burn then you'll lose weight.
    For me personally, the keto diet looks disgusting. I've browsed many diaries on here of the keto krew and IMO , 600 cals per day of whipping cream ,pepperoni and a hot dog is not a well balanced diet. ( I know all keto people don't eat as I have described above, I'm just speaking of the few diaries that I browsed. )
    I would much rather eat a well balanced diet and include a large variety of foods. I also include treats daily within my calories and macros.
    Weight loss comes down to calories. Cico. I prefer a well balanced diet that includes all the foods I love. I use moderation and portion control . I've lost all my weight and have been able to keep it off doing this.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited December 2015
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    The only way to lose fat is by eating fewer calories than your body burns. Now how you achieve that calorie deficit is up to your preference. I have always believed that the best diet is the easiest one to follow for any particular person.

    Personally, I have tried keto and eliminating foods and both approaches were too hard to keep up and hence unsuccessful. While I'm losing weight I alternate between two approaches: intermittent fasting and weekly deficit, both of which allow a lot of flexibility in my calorie intake so I can eat more when I have a bigger appetite/have some food related event and eat less when I'm not hungry.

    I have a spreadsheet to track my weekly calories that I also use for my modified intermittent fasting.

    When I do intermittent fasting:

    I eat to satisfaction whatever I want whenever I want while trying at the same time to practice habits that help with maintenance like being mindful of my hunger levels and portion sizes, but without obsessing, and the next day I eat a very small amount of calories proportionate to the calories I ate on the previous day. For example, if my goal daily intake is 1400 (a total of 2800 for two days) and I consumed 2200 on my day of eating freely, the next day will have 600 calories, rinse and repeat. I find it liberating that even though I'm allowed to eat whatever on my free days I find it very easy to say no to some unnecessary calories. It's like magic to me!

    When I followed a fixed deficit program it used to take quite a bit of willpower to say no to extra calories, but on my free days I find myself saying no very easily. Example: yesterday I had a free day and wanted to taste test a gingerbread cookie. It was good, but not exceptional. I did not reach for seconds because I felt "nah, it isn't worth it" and moved on without a second though. In the past when I followed a fixed calorie restriction diet I would either feel like I'm depriving myself if I don't take a second cookie, or I would try to reason my way around it "these are miniature cookies, one more won't hurt"

    Here is how yesterday went where I ate anything and everything I wanted to full satisfaction, while still being mindful without drawing any hard red lines for myself:

    8fkf7ctd68gy.png



    When I do weekly deficit:

    I try to pay more attention to calories and choices, but I don't mind going over my daily budget with the premise that I can plan a high day in advance, or make up for a high day later.


    Note that I'm not trying to sell you any kind of eating arrangement as the ultimate weight loss solution, the sole purpose for this long post is to show you an example of how I made dieting easier for myself, and that in dieting anything goes as long as it makes things easier for you while still keeping a calorie deficit.
  • dalem1985
    dalem1985 Posts: 3 Member
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    CICO and MFP helped me lose 192# in 20 months.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited December 2015
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    The ELMM diet (Eat Less Move More)

    I started out by getting in the habit of eating regular meals of nutritious foods and cutting down on the snacks and desserts. I used to just graze so I was pretty much constantly eating. 6 weeks later, I started concentrating more on portion size, counting calories, and I found out about setting up daily macro targets (as a newly diagnosed T2Dm it was necessary for me to watch my carbs, but I do not do low carb, just moderate them).

    I started moving more the same way. I had some back issues, so I took a water exercise class designed to help the back. When I lost some weight and my back was feeling better, I started walking. I could only get to the end of my apartment complex at first, but I kept increasing my distance until now I walk regularly 5-7 miles a day with walks as long as 24 miles thrown in (I belong to a hiking club).

    If you really need help understanding nutrition and getting ideas for what to eat, you could start out reading up about things like the Mediterranean Diet or the Diabetic Diet. These can give you good meal plans to start out until you develop your own preferences and feel confident in your choices.

    58841349.png
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    For me it is keto. I am prediabetic and have some autoimmune issues that improve on a very LCHF diet. I have more energy and find I eat less, partially as a result of greater energy and partially because carbs aren't driving my appetite anymore.

    That being said, to lose weight on a ketogenic diet one must eat with CI<CO. When my BMI was overweight i was losing easily on around 1500 kcal per day. Now that I am closer to goal, my caloric needs are lower so i eat even less, or I workout hard for an hour.

    Lately I have had an infection and a gluten exposure (celiac) so I have been dragging and find myself eating more as the day goes on. My foods are still low carb, but I am eating too much and I am two pounds beaver than last week. Not a big deal, but it happened from eating too much and not from being in ketosis... Actually, I am probably out of ketosis right now. Too many nuts and coconut last night. Lol

    The best diet for you is one that helps your health and that is doable for life.
  • Marigold000
    Marigold000 Posts: 9 Member
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    Eating low carb has given me good results before and also weight watchers :)

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