How did you find what works for YOU?

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e_v_v
e_v_v Posts: 131 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been searching far and wide for an eating plan that works for ME. I know that dedication and calorie counting are blanket plans that do work for everyone, but I mean more specifically.

I've tried low-carb, IMF, cutting out sugar, meal replacement shakes, etc. It's not true that every method will show success to everyone who tries it, so if you're someone who is going to respond with the like, then please move on.

I guess what I'm mostly asking is if you are someone who has found consistent success through planning your diet around ketosis, Atkins, Whole30, Shakeology, balancing macros, vegan, or anything of the like, how and when did you decide that that's what you were going to stick with? How much time did you give it before you tried something else?
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  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
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    CICO was it for me. That and exercise. I wouldn't say I necessarily eat less than I did before, but I eat different foods. Low carb did nothing for me, never tried ketosis of IF. Some of my family members were swearing by low carb diets so I tried it for about three months. Nada. I felt fuller maybe but lost no weight. I may have even gained some (this was 50 net carbs per day). Once I started counting calories for CICO the weight started to consistently fall, and has stayed off.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    I consider myself someone who has found consistent success through planning my diet myself, using my experience with counting calories and balancing macros - with the help from many sources, MFP's community is one of them. It took some time (2 years?) before I could really trust that this would work, that it really works, it just seemed... too easy.

    I had tried to stick to "lean, green and mean", for over 20 years... but I always craved "something" (I didn't really understand what was wrong or even that something was wrong, because that was supposed to be the healthiest diet possible).
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
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    Just plain old fashioned calorie counting with being mindful of getting enough protein. Experimentation has taught me I need all three macros ideally in a meal in order to keep hunger at bay. But that's it. If it fits, I eats.
  • happysherri
    happysherri Posts: 1,360 Member
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    Calorie counting, following macros and refeed days work best for me. I find after weeks or months of strict eating and heavy training my body sometimes needs a break. When I realize this I add in 1 "splurge" meal a week and sometimes I will take 7 days off from training (as a reset). I love food and will binge if I get too strict for too long so the "splurge" meals also help with that. I plan them and look forward to them. - There are times I have to switch up my calorie intake and macros depending on what's going on and my body. It's always trial and error with stress levels, my age, injuries, etc...
  • lightenup2016
    lightenup2016 Posts: 1,055 Member
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    Calorie counting (has always worked for me, just didn't keep it up in the past) and IF (16 hr fast, 8 hr eating window about 1pm to 9pm). I somehow figured out the calorie counting thing about 18 years ago, but it was combined with a LOT of cardio, and once I backed off the cardio due to injury, I fell off the wagon completely. Several years ago I somehow found IF detailed online, and tried various forms of it with success. I thought that was the way to go and I could avoid actually counting calories, but after several months the IF method I was doing (Fast 5) got too difficult to do every day, and I fell off that wagon as well.

    Last July I decided to get back to calorie counting, found MFP, and actually enjoy logging! I also fell into a natural-feeling IF method (16:8), and that along with calorie counting has been the winning combination for me. I did get hung up at the holidays a bit, but I had planned for that, and I'm back at it now! Also, slow and steady wins the race!

    I don't restrict any particular foods, but I feel better and my calorie goal is much easier to stick to when I eat less sugar and more protein.

    Good luck finding what's right for you!!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    I never bothered with whatever was the latest trendy diet and personally, I think a lot of people wear these diets on their sleeves like they do brand name clothing...

    I started out just logging what I was normally eating and watching portions...from there I just looked at my diet and I could see where I was going overboard on certain things and where I was deficient in certain things...from there I just made it a point to balance things out by reducing the things I was going overboard on and adding things in that I was deficient in. Over time, my diet (noun) evolved to be what it is today which is a primarily whole foods diet that doesn't eliminate or substantially restrict any one macro-nutrient. When I cut I tend to reduce carbs to some extent, but that's largely because I up my protein and my fats stay relatively static...so something has to give when reducing calories...but I'm most certainly not at Keto levels and personally, I see little reason to be that restrictive outside of that being prescribed by a doctor.
  • songbird13291
    songbird13291 Posts: 120 Member
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    You have to find something that you can do forever. A lifestyle change.

    What works for me is Weight Watchers. Not the current plan, which is far too restrictive for me, but an older version, Points Plus. I find that the plan allows me to choose what I want to eat, nothing is off limits. Because points are based on the nutritional value of each food item, the plan steers me towards healthier choices.

    For awhile I was tracking calories instead of points. I seem to be eating the same foods regardless of whether I'm tracking points or calories.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    I'm down ~65 lbs since Sept. Short answer is calorie counting.

    What has worked for me is figuring out how I would be eating if I was 220 lbs. So I've not restricted anything specifically, am not eating foods I don't like, am not doing KETO, IF or anything else, just eating what I like to eat, under my calorie limit keeping an eye on protein and fiber. No question I'm eating better than I was, but I'm not even focused on healthy or clean foods. I have chips, ice cream and all kinds of things I enjoy, but in moderation. I eat back most of my exercise calories because I can and still keep my weight loss on track.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    edited February 2017
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    A whole lot of trial and error. I've found things that set me up for success, and things that tend to lead to bad decisions. I try keep the helpful things outnumbering the destructive things. Sometimes I can, sometimes I can't... that's just life for me.

    Beyond that, it's mostly a mental battle for me - a bad day or week or month doesn't and can't mean defeat/failure. Giving up = failure, so I do my best to keep plugging away. Don't get me wrong... I have bad days a lot, and I feel defeated a lot... but I try. Each day (ok, most days) I try. And that's really the best I can do.
  • ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken
    ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken Posts: 1,530 Member
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    Trial and error. Feeling good doing one thing vs feeling poorly doing another.
  • caimay199
    caimay199 Posts: 39 Member
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    Loug1983 wrote: »
    I cannot understand why someone would rather follow a restrictive diet over eating any of the foods they like within a limit.

    That's not meant to be a criticism, I know plenty of people who do it, I just honestly don't understand why. The only explanation I can come up with is that they don't want to have to think about it, they want to be told what they can and can't eat. I guess I can see some appeal to that, certainly to get you started, but that sounds too limiting to me.

    I calorie count, my diet hasn't really changed, I just try to eat more of the nutrient rich things, and less of the nutrient poor things, but ultimately I am in control of what I eat and that's how I like it!

    I guess for some people it's easier to eliminate those foods completely than try and eat smaller portions of them. I've always had this theory that you're either/or...you're someone who can only succeed if these things are included in your plan, or you're someone who will ultimately find it easier to 'cut the cord' as it were.

    Still not sure which one I am...
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
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    Years of trial and error led me to RFL for cutting, and a standard 40/30/30 p/f/c for bulking. I function both physically and psychologically better with fairly extreme measures. Hell, even using 5/3/1 for a year is trying my patience, as I prefer lifting 7-10x per week.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    caimay199 wrote: »
    Loug1983 wrote: »
    I cannot understand why someone would rather follow a restrictive diet over eating any of the foods they like within a limit.

    That's not meant to be a criticism, I know plenty of people who do it, I just honestly don't understand why. The only explanation I can come up with is that they don't want to have to think about it, they want to be told what they can and can't eat. I guess I can see some appeal to that, certainly to get you started, but that sounds too limiting to me.

    I calorie count, my diet hasn't really changed, I just try to eat more of the nutrient rich things, and less of the nutrient poor things, but ultimately I am in control of what I eat and that's how I like it!

    I guess for some people it's easier to eliminate those foods completely than try and eat smaller portions of them. I've always had this theory that you're either/or...you're someone who can only succeed if these things are included in your plan, or you're someone who will ultimately find it easier to 'cut the cord' as it were.

    Still not sure which one I am...

    Someone posted this somewhere else, but here is an interesting article on the topic.

    http://gretchenrubin.com/happiness_project/2012/10/back-by-popular-demand-are-you-an-abstainer-or-a-moderator/

    I'm a moderator. I have small (~30g) bags of chips in the house and will have one every 2 or 3 days. If they were not in the house, I drive to the store and buy a family sized bag when I wanted some. But I can't do the same with pop. If I had any in the house, I'd drink it. So I don't have any in the house any more.
  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,987 Member
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    It's all about your calorie goal. How you reach that goal is very personal. I continued to eat the same food I've always eaten, just in more managed portions.

    Some people find that low-carb or some other restricted diet is easy for them and helps them reach their calorie goal. I personally could NEVER sustain that.

    This has to be something you are willing to do for the rest of your life, not just while you're on a "diet".

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