what diet plan has worked for you?

I just want some insight or information about what diet has worked for you? What did you do? How did you it And if you were able to lose weight or gain? In contrast you can also talk about what didn't work for your or provide reasons why "x diet" didn't do so well for you and etc.
«13

Replies

  • OliveGirl128
    OliveGirl128 Posts: 801 Member
    All plans, regardless of their claims, work because of a calorie deficit. You can go with the simple calorie tracking method (what MFP is designed for), or you can opt to go with a designed diet plan to give you a bit more structure.

    For me-I did alternate day IF (intermittent fasting) for my weight loss phase and it worked well, even though it's one of the more extreme plans out there. Then, for the transition period between my weight loss phase and maintenance I did 5:2IF, which is a more laid back version of alternate day IF, and now a few years into maintenance I continue to do an IF protocol, 16:8IF, as part of my weight management plan. IF works well with my lifestyle and it helps me with my calorie adherence. I also currently follow the DASH diet protocol, as a guideline for a balanced and healthy eating plan.

    I don't have anything to contrast this with, since I've only lost the extra weight one time and I'm now maintaining the loss.
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,839 Member
    edited August 2017
    What works for me is staying within calorie goals while eating delicious food that satisfies my hunger. What works for me is avoiding after supper snacking because once I start, I have difficulty stopping. Note, none of these is the "magic diet" you might be hoping to find.

    Yes, I eat less bread because it's calorie dense and hard for me to stop eating once I start. And since I'm eating less bread, I'm eating less butter. But these are not "rules" or a "diet" I follow. They are just tactics that are helping me control how many calories I consume.

    I've lost just shy of 8 pounds in the last 30 days eating TDEE-500, 21 pounds overall ... so far.
  • kyvalenteva
    kyvalenteva Posts: 4 Member
    I've been following the keto diet. It's interesting for a change to follow macros of carbs/sugars/proteins/fiber as opposed to just what's calorie ridden and sugary. Everyone's body's different of course, but the keto thing seems to work for me the best. Calories play an important role in it too of course but my main focus is the protein and carbs/fiber.

    It does me better to cut sugar and such regardless: I stay asleep better throughout the night and wake up easier in the morning.
  • bridgets1978
    bridgets1978 Posts: 6 Member
    Love this topic! Thanks for asking. So I've tried: juice cleanses, Weight Watchers, groups at my gym and online, etc. And actually all of them have "worked" until I decided to stop working them.

    My current system is to have food targets for 4 meals per day (I.e. XX oz of fruit, XX oz of veggies, XX oz of carbs) and to send my accountability coach my food plan at night for the next day and then to log my food.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    5:2 eating pattern helped me stick to a suitable and sensible weekly calorie deficit eating foods I enjoy whilst exercising hard.

    In the past trying to stick to an everyday calorie deficit bored and frustrated me. I'm very determined short term but lose patience with feeling restricted all the time so just restricting two days a week suited me well.

    In the dim and distance past (before the internet and food labelling...) restrictive diets eating either tiny amounts of food or meal replacements or boring food were just the first yo in yo-yo.
  • OliveGirl128
    OliveGirl128 Posts: 801 Member
    edited August 2017
    Love this topic! Thanks for asking. So I've tried: juice cleanses, Weight Watchers, groups at my gym and online, etc. And actually all of them have "worked" until I decided to stop working them.

    My current system is to have food targets for 4 meals per day (I.e. XX oz of fruit, XX oz of veggies, XX oz of carbs) and to send my accountability coach my food plan at night for the next day and then to log my food.

    This is very similar to what I'm doing with the DASH diet-there's different categories, (grains, veg/fruit, fats and oils etc), with recommended amounts and then throughout the day I aim to hit those numbers :) I love checking off servings as I go through the day (total lists nerd here lol).
  • ISweat4This
    ISweat4This Posts: 653 Member
    I've gotten the best results from watching my calories/macros because I don't have to avoid any foods.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    kaypee65 wrote: »
    I am very much a believer in gut flora as helping or hindering weight loss. And the best current evidence suggests fewer processed foods and a very, very high fiber diet. I consume 30 grams of fiber a day.

    My breakfast smoothies have 13 grams of fiber. I made a buffalo tempeh salad with ranch dressing for dinner last night. Delicious, satisfying on every level. And 10 grams of fiber.

    http://www.newsweek.com/weight-loss-enemy-within-414483

    I aim for 45g per day. I don't always hit that mark but I'm usually pretty close. I don't count them every day anymore. I consider this a high fiber diet but IDK if I'd say very, very high.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,145 Member
    What works for me is counting calories. I lost ~75 pounds. I eat mostly the same things I ate before. I do try to make an effort to get more protien, but I don't eat anything that I don't like and I don't restrict anything except my portion sizes. I have lost weight before doing low-fat, but it was not sustainable and I gained it all back plus some. And I was sad all the time because I really missed cheese and chocolate. I probably eat some cheese and some chocolate every day. I just keep the portions moderate.
  • SafioraLinnea
    SafioraLinnea Posts: 628 Member
    No formal diet plan has worked for me because I tend towards obsessive and negative thoughts if I am on a diet.

    I eat my regular life food within my allotted calorie budget. I tend to eat mostly nutrient dense food but I allow for some treats occasionally. This makes me happy and works best for me to be closer to my goal of a healthy body than I have ever been before.
  • need2belean
    need2belean Posts: 358 Member
    edited August 2017
    Macro counting and not eating back my workout calories 90% of the time has been the only thing that has worked for me in the long run. The only problem I see having in the future is I hate not knowing how much protein/carbs/fat I'm getting in a day which is why I log. I'm worried if I ever stop logging, that I won't get enough protein/carbs in to keep me going with my progress. That's why I haven't stopped logging except on vacation.
    With just plain ol' calorie counting, I wasn't getting all the necessary nutrients as I should have been, and when I lost weight, I lost muscle more than anything.