What diet has everyone had most success on in the past?
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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.
What she said! Although I'd add that the "slim fast" type diets where you're eating processed foods can work for some, but the natural - whole foods diets seem more sustainable to me (and more delicious - and more what our bodies were made to eat - and more affordable....)
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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.
I'd agree and would add South Beach to that list. It's a good primer on basic eating.0 -
CICO is the only way I've successfully lost. I eat the same kinds of things, I just eat them in different frequencies and portion sizes.0
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A calorie deficit did the trick for me.0
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Alatariel75 wrote: »Calories in, calories out. 75lbs down.
^^This. Eating less calories than I burn.
-160# and maintenance a little over 2 years.0 -
Eat less. Move more. Everything in moderation. Lost 95 pounds! However I changed jobs - I love my job and my career and I've put back on 20 pounds in the last 2 years. I don't eat any worse than I did before but I move a lot less now. I'm trying to find that new balance now that my scheduled varies and no longer has that inherently built in gym time.0
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In general:
But upping high volume/low calorie foods has been very useful as well:
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Most success in scale numbers while being extremely unhealthy physically and mentally: logging my food, eating less than 1k for over a year. Quick fat and lean muscle loss (not something I'd ever recommend to anyone).
Much slower but much more stable and sustainable: logging my food, eating the appropriate amount of calories for my age, the amount i had wanted to lose, and my height. Slower losses, gives me a lot more calories to play with, more fun0 -
thorsmom01 wrote: »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.thorsmom01 wrote: »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.
I started the keto diet because it seemed fairly easy to do as in i didnt need much help picking what foods i can and cant eat, but like you said it was a little disgusting. I was consuming way too many calories as well. I am thinking of trying the 21 day fix. I think it will help me with my portions which I have a really hard time controling as well as getting in a balanced diet, which i need help with. Would the 21 day fix be considered eating clean? I have heard some really good things about "clean eating" and curious.
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amusedmonkey wrote: »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:
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.
I was trying the intermittent fasting as well. So inyiur day that you dont eat until 12-2pm that is a high calorie day? How many IF days did u start out doing?0 -
Joy_n_Almonds wrote: »thorsmom01 wrote: »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.thorsmom01 wrote: »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.
I started the keto diet because it seemed fairly easy to do as in i didnt need much help picking what foods i can and cant eat, but like you said it was a little disgusting. I was consuming way too many calories as well. I am thinking of trying the 21 day fix. I think it will help me with my portions which I have a really hard time controling as well as getting in a balanced diet, which i need help with. Would the 21 day fix be considered eating clean? I have heard some really good things about "clean eating" and curious.
A money saving tip: if you are curious about the 21 day fix, buy cheap containers and ziplock bags and portion your food accordingly. The program is basically an exercise DVD (plenty of free exercise videos on Youtube) a few containers, and a shake. Unless you wish to rely on shakes during your diet, this is not the right approach.
"Clean eating" is a poorly defined concept that generally means having the majority of your food be from sources that undergo the least amount of processing. The general idea is that such foods tend to be lower in calories and richer in nutrients. There are a few problems with this concept though that I prefer not to get into (it's usually a hot topic that creates a lot of debate and derails threads.)
My personal advice to you: you don't need to follow any certain diet. 21 day fix is not good at preparing you well for real life scenarios, and neither are many "names diets". The best way to learn about portions, how to control your calories and how to navigate social situations is by buying a food scale and logging your foods in this app, trying to stay within your budgeted calories, then adjust your strategies accordingly.0 -
Joy_n_Almonds wrote: »amusedmonkey wrote: »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:
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.
I was trying the intermittent fasting as well. So inyiur day that you dont eat until 12-2pm that is a high calorie day? How many IF days did u start out doing?
There are different types of intermittent fasting. The one I follow is a modification of what is known as "every other day diet" or "5:2", where you have a high calorie day (regardless of meal timing) followed by a low calorie day. I have normal meals on high calorie day breakfast, lunch and dinner while on low calorie day I find it easier to skip breakfast and only have one meal for lunch or dinner. I follow the day on day off method (every other day diet) because it helps establish a certain 48 hour rhythm that stops you from getting hungry on low calorie days after a while, so in a sense I do 3-4 low calorie days a week.0 -
I LOVE 5:2, it very quickly become a way of life. It's the only thing I've found that I can stick to easily, and I have so much energy, the complete opposite of any other diet I've tried. Here we are Christmas week, and I'm on a fast day and feeling great. I have another planned for Wednesday too. I look forward to my 2 fast days each week
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Joy_n_Almonds wrote: »thorsmom01 wrote: »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.thorsmom01 wrote: »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.
I started the keto diet because it seemed fairly easy to do as in i didnt need much help picking what foods i can and cant eat, but like you said it was a little disgusting. I was consuming way too many calories as well. I am thinking of trying the 21 day fix. I think it will help me with my portions which I have a really hard time controling as well as getting in a balanced diet, which i need help with. Would the 21 day fix be considered eating clean? I have heard some really good things about "clean eating" and curious.
LOL if you found keto "disgusting" you really should skip a high fat diet... Overeating foods you don't like is unusual.0 -
In the past? NONE.
In the present, Calorie Counting with MFP. 76 lbs down (plus 25 from pregnancy because I had a baby in the time I've been logging on MFP).0 -
amusedmonkey wrote: »Joy_n_Almonds wrote: »thorsmom01 wrote: »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.thorsmom01 wrote: »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.
I started the keto diet because it seemed fairly easy to do as in i didnt need much help picking what foods i can and cant eat, but like you said it was a little disgusting. I was consuming way too many calories as well. I am thinking of trying the 21 day fix. I think it will help me with my portions which I have a really hard time controling as well as getting in a balanced diet, which i need help with. Would the 21 day fix be considered eating clean? I have heard some really good things about "clean eating" and curious.
A money saving tip: if you are curious about the 21 day fix, buy cheap containers and ziplock bags and portion your food accordingly. The program is basically an exercise DVD (plenty of free exercise videos on Youtube) a few containers, and a shake. Unless you wish to rely on shakes during your diet, this is not the right approach.
"Clean eating" is a poorly defined concept that generally means having the majority of your food be from sources that undergo the least amount of processing. The general idea is that such foods tend to be lower in calories and richer in nutrients. There are a few problems with this concept though that I prefer not to get into (it's usually a hot topic that creates a lot of debate and derails threads.)
My personal advice to you: you don't need to follow any certain diet. 21 day fix is not good at preparing you well for real life scenarios, and neither are many "names diets". The best way to learn about portions, how to control your calories and how to navigate social situations is by buying a food scale and logging your foods in this app, trying to stay within your budgeted calories, then adjust your strategies accordingly.
Thank you. I am pretty sure I will be buying a scale soon. I have never used one before and from what everyone says it seems to help out a lot. I didn't want to buy the 21 day fix so I watched the infomercial and looked up the American heart association recommended daily serving sizes and bought various containers to mimmick the ones that come with the 21 day fix. I really want to eventually be able to do it all on my own, without the containers but I think it would be a good start this way to at least be able to see physically how much is an ounce of salad or an ounce of meat or oatmeal, etc. I like the idea of putting what goes into the container is what goes into my mouth and only a certain number of each. IDK, I like the concept and think its worth a try. Long term I don't think its practical but may help get me to where I need to be.
Has anyone tried the 21 day fix reading this? Thoughts?0 -
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CICO is the only thing thats ever worked for me. I cant restrict food groups or stick to something restrictive.0
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Joy_n_Almonds wrote: »thorsmom01 wrote: »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.thorsmom01 wrote: »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.
I started the keto diet because it seemed fairly easy to do as in i didnt need much help picking what foods i can and cant eat, but like you said it was a little disgusting. I was consuming way too many calories as well. I am thinking of trying the 21 day fix. I think it will help me with my portions which I have a really hard time controling as well as getting in a balanced diet, which i need help with. Would the 21 day fix be considered eating clean? I have heard some really good things about "clean eating" and curious.
LOL if you found keto "disgusting" you really should skip a high fat diet... Overeating foods you don't like is unusual.
It was a little disgusting seeing all the fat, especially the bacon lol. Don't get me wrong I really like bacon, but just seeing all the fat cooking and all the meat I was eating was a little disgusting. I am not really a big meat eater, and probably why the diet didn't work out for me lol. I will try almost anything once and this was not the one for me.0 -
Joy_n_Almonds wrote: »amusedmonkey wrote: »Joy_n_Almonds wrote: »thorsmom01 wrote: »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.thorsmom01 wrote: »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.
I started the keto diet because it seemed fairly easy to do as in i didnt need much help picking what foods i can and cant eat, but like you said it was a little disgusting. I was consuming way too many calories as well. I am thinking of trying the 21 day fix. I think it will help me with my portions which I have a really hard time controling as well as getting in a balanced diet, which i need help with. Would the 21 day fix be considered eating clean? I have heard some really good things about "clean eating" and curious.
A money saving tip: if you are curious about the 21 day fix, buy cheap containers and ziplock bags and portion your food accordingly. The program is basically an exercise DVD (plenty of free exercise videos on Youtube) a few containers, and a shake. Unless you wish to rely on shakes during your diet, this is not the right approach.
"Clean eating" is a poorly defined concept that generally means having the majority of your food be from sources that undergo the least amount of processing. The general idea is that such foods tend to be lower in calories and richer in nutrients. There are a few problems with this concept though that I prefer not to get into (it's usually a hot topic that creates a lot of debate and derails threads.)
My personal advice to you: you don't need to follow any certain diet. 21 day fix is not good at preparing you well for real life scenarios, and neither are many "names diets". The best way to learn about portions, how to control your calories and how to navigate social situations is by buying a food scale and logging your foods in this app, trying to stay within your budgeted calories, then adjust your strategies accordingly.
Thank you. I am pretty sure I will be buying a scale soon. I have never used one before and from what everyone says it seems to help out a lot. I didn't want to buy the 21 day fix so I watched the infomercial and looked up the American heart association recommended daily serving sizes and bought various containers to mimmick the ones that come with the 21 day fix. I really want to eventually be able to do it all on my own, without the containers but I think it would be a good start this way to at least be able to see physically how much is an ounce of salad or an ounce of meat or oatmeal, etc. I like the idea of putting what goes into the container is what goes into my mouth and only a certain number of each. IDK, I like the concept and think its worth a try. Long term I don't think its practical but may help get me to where I need to be.
Has anyone tried the 21 day fix reading this? Thoughts?
I love the workouts (still do them every once and awhile), the eating plan is a waste of time. Just color coded over-priced tupperware.
Plugging my numbers into MFP and using a food scale worked for me. There is a learning curve to figuring out which foods leave you filled up and which are a waste of your calories, but once you figure that out, you have a plan for the rest of your life.0
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