Are you on a 'program?'

abundantlyme

Hi everyone! I've always chosen programs or ascribed to lifestyles (temporarily, or at least primarily) to lose weight. Everything from weight watchers to nutrisystem, to eating Paleo, to trying Keto...I feel like I've tried so many different plans and lifestyles and ultimately I end up just falling back to old habits. Or, I find that they just don't work for me (like with Keto, I loved the food but didn't lose weight on it -- I now think I just ate too MUCH keto food, as ketonians typically don't count calories).

I've felt that since joining MFP, this may be the key -- just tracking my food and exercise, staying within my calorie/carb/protein limits and working out would be enough to actually reach my goals. But is it? Do I need a program along with MFP?

I'm 43, insulin resistant. I'm wondering -- do most of you follow a certain plan alongside tracking everything here? If so, do you recommend it? Please share.

Thanks!

crzycatlady1

My weight loss phase was back before I had found MFP. I did alternate day IF for the weight loss phase (also called ADF/JUDDD), and all said and done it was just a fancy way of calorie cycling. But, I still needed to hit my calorie deficit targets to lose weight. That's the bottom line for any plan. Now I'm a few years into maintenance and I do a different version of IF, but I still track my calorie intake because that's the only thing that matters for weight management.

Some people find that specific plans help them for one reason or another, but at the end of the day the correct calorie balance for your goals is needed. No need to do anything besides MFP if you don't want to

cwolfman13

You don't need a program...all diets work the same way...you consume less energy than you expend. For some people being on a program is just easier. The problem with most programs is that they lack a maintenance plan and or people lose the weight and don't adhere to the maintenance plan and just go back to old habits...that's usually the case with any program or methodology, including calorie counting.

Counting calories is just a tool...ultimately you still have to adopt a new "normal" once the weight loss phase is over.

As programs go, the only one that I think is worth anything is South Beach...namely because phase III is the maintenance phase...though I only know a handful of people who actually adopt phase III as their new lifestyle...people talk a good talk about "lifestyle change" but rarely implement such a change long term.

kimny72

Nope. Whether I'm trying to lose or in maintenance, I just eat what I eat. I try to focus on getting plenty of veggies, whole grains, and lean proteins, but I also eat pizza, ice cream, and Taco Bell. I aim to hit my protein and fiber goals (carbs and fat always seem to take care of themselves LOL) but other than that I just eat what I'm in the mood for.

Since you "keep falling back into old habits" I think you already have enough evidence that a program won't work for you. Some people need to follow something specific, others don't or it's actually bad for them.

kommodevaran

No program, just eating sensible amounts of all the food I like, and logging it. 28 months into maintenance as we speak.

I have tried programs before, and I lost weight every time.

kgirlhart

I don't follow any plan. I just count calories. I am not insulin resistant though and don't really have any health issues that affect my weight or diet. My own personal "plan" is to eat at my calorie goal. I try to make sure I hit my protien goal and don't really worry about anything else. I always tell people that the only thing I restrict is calories. (That might be different for someone with IR though so follow your doctors advice there.) I do some light yoga 5 days a week and I walk 3 days a week and run 3 days per week. I was walking 6 days per week, but once I lost 60 pounds I felt like running would be a good idea so I started c25k and now I am on c210k. I find it helpful to stick to a schedule with my exercise, but I pretty much eat whatever I want that fits my calorie goal.

CafeRacer808

abundantlyme wrote: »

I've felt that since joining MFP, this may be the key -- just tracking my food and exercise, staying within my calorie/carb/protein limits and working out would be enough to actually reach my goals. But is it? Do I need a program along with MFP?

This is a "program", and it's the one I followed to reach my goal weight. I didn't pay attention to carbs, though. I just made sure I was staying at or under my daily calorie goal and that I was meeting or exceeding my protein goal. I let all the other macros fall where they may.

And yes, this is all you need to do. Weight loss boils down to one thing: eating at a calorie deficit. Weight Watchers, Atkins, etc etc etc are all different approaches or methodologies to help you create and maintain that deficit. But your success or failure with any of those "programs" still rests on whether or not you're eating less calories than you burn.

jessiferrrb

i count my calories as accurately as i can, what i eat and what i burn. i log all of my food and i exercise in a combination of strength training and cardio. i don't restrict any food groups but i try to not keep chips in the house because i have trouble eating a moderate amount of them. i try to hit my protein goals for the day and let the other macros fall where they may. i try to be more strict during the week so i have some extra wiggle room for the weekends. i lose about a half pound a week.

this is what works for me, but i would recommend finding something that uniquely works for you. mfp is absolutely enough if you are accurate in your logging, but within the structure you'll have some trial and error of what makes you feel good and fulfilled and what you feel is sustainable. tweak your macros if you find that one makes you more satiated than the others or if a combo is best for you.

BoxerBrawler

I feel like a lot of people turn it into a big science project when it really doesn't have to be. Just set your target, track your calories, carry a deficit and live your life I've been at it for over five years. First dramatic loss, then building back up (building muscle), tweaking here and there for whatever activities I had on the horizon. I've been obese and I've been anorexic and everything in between. When I finally stopped the "program" and learned to just eat intuitively and holistically, listen to my body and what it needed and keep a check on my calories is when I got to a healthy goal weight. I love my body and my "plan". I do follow a plan but it's a plan of my own choosing that works for my body, my health and my active lifestyle. I burn up close to 3g's a day in calories between generally being active, dance and Muay Thai. I eat clean, I eat very low calories and follow a CRON plan. Despite what anyone else does, it works for me. You just have to find what works for you and stick to that. To answer your question, the idea behind my plan - calorie restrict with optimal nutrition - is that it doesn't matter how few calories you consume throughout the day, as long as they are nutrient dense and quality calories. Every calorie I consume serves a healthy purpose in my body and nothing is left to be stored, and my body isn't starved of any nutrient. On Friday nights I have date night with my husband where I may or may not chose to have a treat meal. Not a treat "day", but just one treat meal. For that meal I'll have anything I want while still controlling my portions and I'll usually have dessert too. And I usually pay for it the next day LOL! My body doesn't like lotts of processing or sugars or sodiums.

leanjogreen18

I like you tried many "diets" and was successful losing on each one. I never could figure out maintenance because my "diets" always restricted some foods or food groups that I over ate on once I hit goal.

Add to that I didn't know about my TDEE so I never knew how much less I needed to eat to maintain my weight.

So now I'm just counting calories and trying to learn portions, this is the most sustainable way for me to lose and eventually maintain.

BoxerBrawler

And to the above posters point, different things work for different people. I find that I also have great success when I track my macro's.

TeaBea

Pet peeve of mine......many weight loss "plans" are not lifestyles at all. A lifestyle is not a temporary change. I know that it's a popular buzz-word that people selling weight loss products misuse. Rant over......

I think logging YOUR food choices and tweaking them, watching YOUR macros and tweaking them, is more than good enough. In fact it's the best method. Only you can figure out what permanent changes you can make to keep the weight off.

I don't see any written plans that match closely enough for me to do them for the rest of my life.

__TMac__

I'm insulin resistant as well. I count calories and eat essentially the same foods I always have, except I try to keep my carbs to about 150g. I find I get really hungry when I have more than that. It's working fine and isn't too hard.

Lounmoun

No program.
It has been very sustainable for me to just track calories for about 2 years now.

cmriverside

No formal plan. I just log my food, eat a widely varied diet with lots of vegetables and stay under my calories, which means I have to get a bit of exercise nearly every day or I get too hungry.

Almost ten years of maintaining my weight loss (70 pounds) by staying consistent over time. I do use a food scale and I eat 13 out of 14 meals prepared at home.

StaciMarie1974

No program, no plan. Other than living. And for me, now that means being aware of my caloric needs. That means I pay attention to my intake as well as my output. As a semi-active person, my maintenance calories are 1700-2000 per day. The old me was not semi-active, but rather lazy and sluggish, so looking back: it is no surprise that I was overweight.

Jruzer

abundantlyme wrote: »

I've felt that since joining MFP, this may be the key -- just tracking my food and exercise, staying within my calorie/carb/protein limits and working out would be enough to actually reach my goals.

Yes, Yes, YES! I wish everyone understood this.

noexcuses0626

I'm a firm believer in (gasp) everything in moderation. As long as I stay within my daily calorie limit I tend to lose weight.

abundantlyme

Thank you everyone for the great insights. I love being a part of this helpful, supportive, motivating community!

heatherbilyea

I have personally adopted a keto lifestyle . Plans never worked for me.....just lose weight, put back on, repeat. It has taken me many years to realize that no quick fix, no miracle ...just dedication and choices. Do I miss a big old heaping plate of mashed potatoes? Hell yeah...but I know I can't . Found my best thing, Lo Bok. Pasta, I am crazy for, but now I get Miracle Noodles.

But I can still have bacon, and butter , and cream. That's a pretty good trade.

This is the rest of my life, I get that now. Plan on making the best of it!!

lightenup2016

Jruzer wrote: »

abundantlyme wrote: »

I've felt that since joining MFP, this may be the key -- just tracking my food and exercise, staying within my calorie/carb/protein limits and working out would be enough to actually reach my goals.

Yes, Yes, YES! I wish everyone understood this.

MFP is all I do--just counting calories in and balancing with calories out from workouts. I do wait until 1pm to eat, but that's just to make it easier for me to hit my calorie goal for the day. A also have begun looking at macros and nutrients more lately, but only because MFP makes it so easy!

ibboykin

For me personally: I do not subscribe to any plan that cuts out an entire food group.
Next: I hate the word diet. It implies temporary. There are too many that think once they hit their goal they can go back to eating what they want. Then they are left wondering what happened?

I use a common sense approach. I watch my cholesterol intake, added sugars, sodium, trans& saturated fats and I sort of watch calories out of the corner of my eye so to speak.
It works. I've lost weight. I battle high cholesterol, high BP, and elevated blood glucose. Now all are back to normal.

jennybearlv

I use the Stronglifts program and I recently finished the C25K running program. I love programs for fitness, but I have a hard time with food restrictions. You could say MFP is a program, because you have a set number of calories to eat. That is as far as I'm willing to go these days. Someday I may add in macros and eating 5 servings of fruit and veg a day, but I'm not ready for that kind of work.

WinoGelato

I had never really actively tried to lose weight before finding MFP about 4 years ago. I always thought it would be really hard and miserable and I just wasn't motivated enough to "diet" especially if it meant cutting things out that I liked to eat. I sort of stumbled onto it, but once I got here, and started reading the forums - I realized that many of the most successful people here focused on eating a balanced diet while continuing to enjoy all the foods they loved in moderation. And that weight loss really comes down to a mathematical equation of CI<CO.

So I made up my mind that rather than cutting things out of my life, I was going to add things to it - more vegetables, more protein, more whole grains, more exercise, more sleep - and by doing that, my day would be filled up with more balanced, healthy choices but still leave room for small amounts of treats in moderation. I lost the weight I set out to lose (>30 lbs) and am currently maintaining, while still enjoying things like pizza, wine, cookies and ice cream on a regular basis - amidst the many other healthy foods I eat.

abundantlyme

WinoGelato wrote: »

I had never really actively tried to lose weight before finding MFP about 4 years ago. I always thought it would be really hard and miserable and I just wasn't motivated enough to "diet" especially if it meant cutting things out that I liked to eat. I sort of stumbled onto it, but once I got here, and started reading the forums - I realized that many of the most successful people here focused on eating a balanced diet while continuing to enjoy all the foods they loved in moderation. And that weight loss really comes down to a mathematical equation of CI<CO.

So I made up my mind that rather than cutting things out of my life, I was going to add things to it - more vegetables, more protein, more whole grains, more exercise, more sleep - and by doing that, my day would be filled up with more balanced, healthy choices but still leave room for small amounts of treats in moderation. I lost the weight I set out to lose (>30 lbs) and am currently maintaining, while still enjoying things like pizza, wine, cookies and ice cream on a regular basis - amidst the many other healthy foods I eat.

I love this! Thank you And cheers!

Afura

I've done the 1200 calorie thing, paleo/low carb, something else for less than a week, and really it's just finding out what is a sustainable option for you. I eat whatever I want (obviously in moderation), and that keeps me from just really craving something. I've learned that I need a mix of protein, fats and a little carbs to help me feel satisfied after a meal, but others it's just fats, or protein and fats, etc. It may take a little tweaking, but you'll find out what works best for you.
Also well said to @WinoGelato , I had a bagel this morning.

deannalfisher

I wouldn't say I'm on a plan - but I am working with a RD and a few sports nutrition types to tweak my eating for optimal performance - but its mostly just making sure I get the right combo of marcos and fueling at the right times of workouts

crzycatlady1

heatherbilyea wrote: »

I have personally adopted a keto lifestyle . Plans never worked for me.....just lose weight, put back on, repeat. It has taken me many years to realize that no quick fix, no miracle ...just dedication and choices. Do I miss a big old heaping plate of mashed potatoes? Hell yeah...but I know I can't . Found my best thing, Lo Bok. Pasta, I am crazy for, but now I get Miracle Noodles.

But I can still have bacon, and butter , and cream. That's a pretty good trade.

This is the rest of my life, I get that now. Plan on making the best of it!!

Why can't you have potatoes, pasta AND bacon, butter and cream? How is cutting out the things you like a realistic and sustainable approach? Not trying to be argumentative here, but genuinely not understanding how cutting out the foods you like is going to lead to long term, successful adherence?

Running_and_Coffee

I like programs. I have done WW in the past and am on it now and happy. I did a Shakeology-free version of the 21 day fix for pretty much an entire year and it worked very well, but it was too restrictive for long-term. I understand that all of these programs "work" because of CICO, but I personally am more successful when I follow a plan than limits (within reason) how much I can eat of foods that seem to trigger my desire to nosh on carbo-licious treats.

Need2Exerc1se

No, I've never been on a 'program', not even MFP really (don't log). But I do have a program of sorts in my head. Guidelines that I like to follow to keep myself in line.

gradchica27

Programs are for fitness, not for eating (for me). I briefly flirted with some particular ways of eating after my third baby but I blame that on sleep deprivation and nursing hormones (seriously, what was I thinking trying paleo as a vegetarian? I could only eat fruit, veggies, and nuts. Ugh).

Sometimes I think we moralize food too much--and programs that tell us to eat this, but never that, or not after x time play into our desire for both clear cut rules and a group identity (honestly some ways of eating are essentially a religion). None of that is actually necessary for health and weight loss.

I've lost my baby weight and kept it off 4 times (35-65 lbs per baby) by counting calories. Any time a few lbs creep up, I tighten up my logging and drop my calories and they're gone.

If you're looking at an eating program, ask 1) is it a sustainable lifestyle? 2) would it be sustainable for me (see paleo comment above), and 3) are there a lot of folks maintaining this lifestyle for 3 or 5 years or more? I usually see a lot of hype on these diets, but most people I see try them are done within 6 months (usually much sooner). Lots of long term calorie counting maintainers around MFP.