Your diet history.

RidaKhalifeh

What types of diets have you tried in order to lose weight/fat?

middlehaitch

CICO.
Calorie counting. It worked first attempt.

Cheers, h.

Whitezombiegirl

CICO, Slimming world (its bizzare imo) and i eat almost paleo because it helps with my IBS- but i stil count calories with it.

kommodevaran

Calorie counting + another site + focus on low fat and high fiber: Losing weight was easy, keeping it off was impossible.

Calorie counting + MFP + focus on variety and balance, real, nutritious, tasty food in appropriate portions: Losing weight was easy, keeping it off is effortless.

Protranser

I've tried restricting certain macronutrients and ingredients with no real attention to calories. Had I paid more attention to calories, and had some basis of quantifying the amount of exercise I was doing versus the amount of calories I should eat to continue exercising with that intensity/frequency, I probably would've had an easier time keeping up with an exercise regimen.

QueenofHearts023

Calorie counting was my first and last.

Trump2016

Weight management is a binary approach to health and just looking at calories is similarly binary.

I wanted an overall approach to great health and sustainability. Being mindful of things that promote vitamins and minerals, organ health, blood flow, brain power, skin and hair, etc. as well as weight.

To achieve that, I just stick to basics. Fruits, veggies, nuts, tea, whey, almond milk. That sums it up fairly. I never feel weighed down. Always have great durability/stamina. No cravings - every meal is like dessert.

Never really deviated from that. It has always worked so never found the need to change.

Sued0nim

What have I tried? Let's see

1) Weightwatchers - worked, lost around 22lbs, put it back on
2) Weightwatchers again - worked but less, lost around 14lbs put it back on
3) Slimming World - worked, lost, put it back on and more
- see the picture?
4) Low Carb - general - worked - crashed and burned
5) Atkins specific - see above
6) Keto - worked, hated it - crashed and burned
7) Harcombe - worked - tried it twice, diminishing returns - put it back on and more
8) Slimfast - yuk .. but stuck with it for a couple of weeks then wanted to vomit
9) Buying in weightwatchers meals - didn't work - hated it
I'm sure there's more - I have about 30 years yo-yo history following programme, after fad, after restriction, after programme after fad

What has worked?

Throwing it all out as it was focusing on the small details rather than the one important thing

CI<CO and daily logging and getting more active

53lbs lost since May 2014, maintenance since February 2015

amusedmonkey

Some fad diets when I was younger because my friends were doing it, but it wasn't serious and I always regained. Things like grapefruit diet, cabbage soup diet..etc

When I got diagnosed with prediabetes I went on a general low carb diet, was a horrible fit so I didn't last. Attempted keto, was an even more horrible fit.

Said screw it and started counting calories instead, worked brilliantly.

Discovered calorie management schedules that help me regulate my calories like weekly budgets and intermittent fasting while still counting calories religiously, still works brilliantly but feels easier for me.

MelaniaTrump

Cabbage soup diet for about 3 days. Still do it once in a while. Cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, veggie broth, onions, garlic.

Protranser

JanetYellen wrote: »

Cabbage soup diet for about 3 days. Still do it once in a while. Cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, veggie broth, onions, garlic.

I am going to try to make this soup in a decent sized batch sometime soon. Thank you for the recipe idea lol. Having multiple course meals is quite pleasing, for me.

Machka9

I've used CICO, as necessary, since I was about 17 years old ... long, long time ago.

I was counting calories back in the day where I had to scrounge up the amount of calories in foods, and the amount of calories various exercises burned, through magazines, books, doctor's offices, etc. ... and write them all down in a notebook every day.

When computers came along, I started tracking in an spreadsheet ... Lotus 123 at first, IIRC, and then Excel. My first online calculator was Fit Day ... then I tried a program we were given in a Health and Fitness class I took in uni ... then Daily Plate. And now MFP.

mrtastybutt

I've logged calories ever since I can remember. I had spirals and spirals of notebooks filled with entries. Restriction was always my diet of choice. Although I can remember trying Slimfast back in the 80's when Oprah made a big deal about it. Wow, that was nasty. The first time I had BK was after I got a job and could buy it since my mom refused to because it was too fatty. Then I found out how fattening it was, so I would buy it and chew it up and spit it back out into the bag. I did that for a lot of the things that were new to me.

I didn't really try a lot of diets though. At least none that I remember.

cbelc2

Atkins, low fat, low carb, cabbage soup, supplements, weight watchers. Now I'm working on a balanced whole foods approach and watching macros and micros. So far I'm satisfied and losing weight.

JackieMarie1989jgw

In high school I tried atkins, worked some but I couldnt maintain it and the weight came right back. In college I tried to just "eat healthier" by including more fruits and veggies, but didnt log anything. I used to be extremely opposed to calorie counting or any hard and fast rules in diets, I just wanted to generally "eat better". But nothing ever had real success for me until I joined mfp two years ago and buckled down. Turns out I need hard and fast rules to actually stick to something. Plus in calorie counting you can still eat whatever you want, in moderation

yirara

Doing half an hour or 45 minutes on a cross trainer each second day and wondering why it didn't help.
Doing boxing/cross fit and spinning each 2 times per week, eating more and wondering why it didn't work
Reading here and decided to do it properly.

deluxmary2000

I think I've tried just about everything at one point... Atkins (low-carb), low-fat, super low-calorie, Hollywood Diet, South Beach diet, Weight Watchers, Cabbage Soup... you get the point.
The weird thing is that I've never been more than 15 lbs overweight (except pregnancy). I just unfortunately yo-yo like crazy.

Shanel0916

Starving myself and only eating dinner never worked, 5:2 diet lasted a few weeks lost a couple pounds, slim fast didn't work and special k diet lasted maybe a day with that, lol. My weight has always yo-yo'd. I have tried calorie counting tons of times on this site and another site. This is the first time I have actually made significant progress. Now is the smallest I have ever been, not really sure what made it stick this time around.

Anya_000

I tried exercising, a lot, and eating as I pleased. Gained weight.
Tried low calorie diets 1200 or less, couldn't last.
I tried 5:2 for 6 weeks, it worked, but I dreaded the fasting days, they were so hard, and I couldn't do it anymore.
Now, i'm doing CICO. The first 2 months were just a learning experience. I logged most everything, and learned how much I really ate. I started making small changes. Now, I'm staying within my calorie goals 95% of the time, and have been steadily losing 1-2 lbs a week. I've changed my eating habits over the last three months to include more protein, veg, nuts etc, less fried food a little less bread and wine, and it's finally paying off. I'm losing without hunger. I check in to the MFP community to keep motivated.

dotti1121

I've tried it all! Most work in some way or another...IF you stick to it.

Queenmunchy

Good old fashioned semi-starvation diet as a kid. It worked...then calorie counting to maintain it...then no calorie counting while pregnant and getting super fat...then calorie counting AND WW at the same time to lose that baby weight...then calorie counting to maintain and/or lose a little more. I basically have stayed pretty much the same weight (plus or minus 10lbs) from 17-34 with the exception of one year where I looked amazing because I lifted and ran a lot, and that pregnancy year and subsequent year of loss. That's the place where I want to be, but I just don't put in enough effort.

lemurcat12

RidaKhalifeh wrote: »

What types of diets have you tried in order to lose weight/fat?

None, really.

I lost weight years ago just by making healthier choices, starting to cook for myself most of the time, and watching portions. Oh, and most importantly, by getting active again.

I regained some years later (stress, depression, stopped being active, but still mostly eating a pretty good diet and cooking at home mostly, just eating too much for my activity level). This time, I did do a paleo thing briefly to see if I would feel any better (and because I don't care about most foods with grains that much, so I figured it might be an easy way for me to address mindless eating) and found it was not difficult and I enjoyed how I was eating, but a bit of a pain, I missed dairy, and I couldn't see why legumes or whole grains were something I should cut out of my diet so I decided it was silly and went back to my old way of eating, but exercising more mindfulness about choices. The main change is I mostly don't snack.

Oh, and I got active again.

I think the reason losing weight has been pretty easy for me both times I did it, and maintenance was easy so long as I was active, is because I never got into the yo-yoing frame of mind or experienced dieting as a super unpleasant or restrictive thing. I've always thought I should like how I'm eating and eat in a way that I want to for a lifetime.

williams969

Just MFP. Well, I actually used a similar calorie counting website for the first two weeks, but same premise. Create a sensible weight loss goal. Eat according to the goal. Repeat.

kgirlhart

I lost about 40 pounds 20 years ago by doing low fat. I ate as many carbs as I wanted and measured all my food so even though I wasn't specifically counting the calories, I did eat in a calorie deficit. I gained that weight back after I became pregnant and I quit counting fats. That was also before they really started to differentiate between saturated fat and non-saturated fats so I was limiting all my fats. It did work well for me and I wasn't really hungry doing it, but I always felt deprived. CICO is working much better for me. It is easier to count calories now with the mfp app. I didn't have a smartphone 20 years ago. lol I didn't exercise at all back then, except I was a stay at home mom with a toddler. Now I work in an office and sit on my butt all day long so I have started exercising this time. It gives me a few extra calories a day and I feel better being more active. I was more active in my 20's than in my 40's but I am trying to change that. I've lost 26 pounds so far and my goal is 60 so I'm about halfway there. I think I'll be more successful this time. I did pretty much eat what I wanted last time if it fit my fat goals, but it was too hard fitting cheese and avocados and things like that in so I usually skipped them and ended up feeling deprived. Now I eat whatever I want that fits my calorie goals and it is much easier and I don't feel deprived all the time.
This time I don't really feel like I'm dieting at all. I'm just paying attention to what I eat and trying to be more active.

Sredster

Oh jeez. I'm not sure I can even remember them all over the pas 10 years. Lets see...

• Personal Trainer before school in the AM.
• Personal Trainer after school in the PM.
• Atkins diet
• Vegan diet
• Vegetarian diet
• Pescetarian diet
• Joining a sports team
• Starvation
• Throwing up

I know there is more. Now I am on a eat in moderation every couple of hours to meet my calorie goal. And do 60 minutes of cardio 5 times a week.

Need2Exerc1se

Eat less and/or exercise more. It's worked every time, which is many times.

Sabine_Stroehm

I've only tried once. I lost, and have kept it off 14 years. I try to eat nutrient dense, high fiber foods, and limit my heavily refined, nutrient poor carbs. It made it easy to lose, and I believe it's helped me keep the weight off, along with being pretty active.

Clobern80

Low Carb dieting lost me 150 pounds about 5, but the only reason it worked was because of CI/CO.

chaoticdreams

I've been fat my whole life so......

1. as a stupid teen, I tried starvation. Made it three days then ate all the things
2. bean and rice low fat diet, pretty much says it, beans and rice. Made it a month, lost 10 lbs, refused to eat beans for a long time after
3. cabbage soup diet Yuck
4. grapefruit diet, yeah and no
5. did the whole phen phen thing, didn't work, glad I'm still alive
6. slimfast, yuck
7. Atkins back when it first became trendy again late 90's, worked, really liked it, then went to college. Can't afford steak on a cheap pizza budget and mom and dad were no longer footing the bills so yeah, that ended
8. WW's during points plus, really liked it, worked extremely well, got to the lowest size I'd ever been in my adult life, lost 65 lbs in 4 months (my workout schedule was insane though and I was a little obsessed)
9. Some kind of weird drink thing a coworker was selling, was gross, tore my stomach up, and yuck Did lose 10 lbs that was promptly regained
10. Good old fashioned CICO here on MFP - works great, easy to stick too, lost 30 lbs in three 1/2 months

Currently doing keto on Dr.'s recommendations for type 2 diabetes and some other issues, but it's all CICO at the end of the day. I still count calories and keep my bacon binges to a minimum. I'm now down a total of 58 lbs. Got a ways to go, but I'll get there.

There isn't an instant fix. I learned that the hard way. I'd be skinny by now if life and stupidity hadn't interfered.

sunfastrose

Lost 50 pounds using Weight Watchers; have maintained 95% of that loss for over 15 years. Currently doing CICO to get back to 100% loss. 1.2 pounds away from goal.

melonaulait

• Weightwatchers when I was 16, lost 40-50lbs so it definitely works (gained back + more)
• started my pescetarian diet right around that age too, was happy with it for 8+ years (no help with weight loss though)
• now vegan and losing weight with CICO (-30lbs so far and not looking back)