What long term eating habit is best

Baby43204

#nutrition #diet okay everyone I am confused on what diet to do cause I first that low carb would be the best one but I have been trying to do it for a few weeks and kinda hard but thought I could do it. But I went to my doctor and asked him which diet is best to do and he said low calories and I told him I thought low carb was better but he said I could do a low carb and low calorie diet but was wondering which is the best to lose the most weight and easier to stick with for the rest of your life I have a lot of weight to lose about 100 pounds so I am looking for something real good that works for the rest of my life and is not expensive. Any help would be great.

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kommodevaran

Any diet that provides you with all the nutrition you need and not too much of anything, is a good diet for everybody. A diet like that, that you can happily stick to permanently, is a good diet for you.

MFP gives you a framework and guidance, you have to stick to it and fill in the food you eat.

Carbohydrates are just one of the nutrients that provide calories, so "low carb" is a strategy to reducing calorie intake. "Low calorie" isn't a good term. The less you eat, the faster you lose, but too low calorie is no good because you'll be hungry and overeat. The longer you diet, though, the more you lose. So this is about getting in a minimum of precision (not too much, not too little), and consistency, and patience.

Eating less costs less money, so expenses should be the least concern.

seska422

Weight loss is all about consuming fewer calories than your body uses. How you do that is up to you. The more comfortable you are with your way of eating, the more likely you are to stick with a calorie plan over the long term.

My suggestion is that you eat your normal way for a couple of weeks while logging everything. That will give you practice at logging and let you gather some data. You can then look back through to see where you might eat smaller portions and/or make satisfying substitutions.

sugaraddict4321

The best long-term eating habit is the one you know you can stick with long-term.

In my case, that's eating all the foods I like (in moderation), and a few of the foods I don't like but know are good for me.

You might find it easier to start by tracking everything you eat now with your current habits, so you can get an idea of your calorie intake is. From there, reduce a reasonable amount of calories to lose about 1-1.5 pounds per week. You can do this. We have a lot of supportive people here!

fuzzylop72

Any diet you can most easily comply with long-term while meeting your nutritional requirements and caloric deficit is the best one.

kimny72

Calories will determine how much weight you lose, regardless of how you eat.

Different diets, schedules, and macro distributions are better for different people. Some people feel fuller and more energetic eating low carb, others eating high carb. Some people do better skipping breakfast and eating all their calories later, other folks are hangry all day if they don't eat a good breakfast. You have to find what works for you.

Start logging, and use the notes to record how you felt that day. Did you easily hit your goal? Were you hungry all day? Did you feel extra energetic or rundown? You might see a pattern of what you ate and how you did, and can tweak from there. Good luck!

ladyhusker39

The one you can stick with...

bebeisfit

Everyone is different, so you need to find out what works for you. There are plenty of ways to eat less, and not expensive. Look around some of these threads and search for budget meals.

You'll see lots of people who swear by intermittent fasting, low carb, low fat, keto and all kinds of eating plans. As others have stated, do what works for you for the rest of your life. It's really all about the calories. You can't go back to excess calories after you lose the weight. I tried that multiple times over the last 3 decades and guess what? the weight came back.

rheddmobile

Low carb is not intrinsically a weight loss diet. You can gain as much weight as you want to eating nothing but fat and protein, if you eat enough of them. Only calories matter, if what you want is to lose weight. Low carb is just a way that some people find easier to restrict their calories. If you find it hard, there is no reason on Earth for you to do it, unless you have a medical reason to avoid carbs, which based on what your doctor said, you don't.

lorrpb

Portion control.

rybo

The best one is the one that you determine works best for YOU. No one here can know. There's things we can suggest like eating more vegetables and foods that are nutritional but not calorically dense. Portion control, weighing and measuring everything you eat. Higher protein, higher fiber, more whole or minimally processed foods. Ways to cope with trigger goods(moderation vs elimination) etc etc

Rocbola

ladyhusker39 wrote: »

The one you can stick with...

Agreed. Persistence is key to success.

For me personally, i have had great success losing over 80 LBS, and increasing my fitness, and reversing several conditions, on a WFPB diet, like the one recommended by Dr. Greger, Dr. McDougall, Dr. Goldhamer, Dr. Esselstyn, etc.

Nikion901

There is NO one magic diet ... IF you eat low carb but still overeat you will not lose weight, you will gain weight because you are over-eating. IF you go low-calorie you will still have to decide how much of your calorie allowance you want to consume from the 3 macronutrients your body uses ... carbs, fats, protein. Too much of any one of them will tilt you ...

So ... why not make your own approach to what you eat by deciding what foods you can limit and still be happy, and which foods you like to eat.

For myself ... I set a calorie limit and try to stay in that range day in and day out. To help me stay focused and not go bonkers when I have an off day, I also take the time to figure out what my average calories are as the days of the week go by.

Need2Exerc1se

The best diet is the one that doesn't seem like a lot of work. The one that seems comfortable to you. Because that's the one that you will be most likely to stick to long term.

kommodevaran

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

The best diet is the one that doesn't seem like a lot of work. The one that seems comfortable to you. Because that's the one that you will be most likely to stick to long term.

I actually feel some strange kind of guilty because my diet and lifestyle doesn't seem like a lot of work. Those thoughts are the real challenge for me, what I need to work on.

monicaamy902

I think you should do what's best for you. Maybe experiment taking things out and see how it makes you feel. Personally, for me, when I eat sugar, I want more (it's like a drug for me) and then I end up eating like crap all the time. When I eat gluten/bread/pastries, I can't stop eating them and end up feeling way over full at every meal. I cut out dairy because I had skin issues and they went away when I quit eating/drinking it. I chose to do paleo, but that's my preference. I love the food I eat, I feel better, I don't feel guilty about what I eat and have lost 30 lbs. this year.

jessef593

Eating in moderation.

Within your calories.

A doctor isn’t a dietitian. Or nutritionist.

Low carb, high carb. Does not matter. Stay under maintenance calories and you WILL lose weight. It doesn’t matter what Kim or Jim down the hall told you.

losergood2011

one thing - cook at home

missysippy930

Whatever is sustainable for you for the long term.
For me, that is moderation in all foods.

cwolfman13

Baby43204 wrote: »

#nutrition #diet okay everyone I am confused on what diet to do cause I first that low carb would be the best one but I have been trying to do it for a few weeks and kinda hard but thought I could do it. But I went to my doctor and asked him which diet is best to do and he said low calories and I told him I thought low carb was better but he said I could do a low carb and low calorie diet but was wondering which is the best to lose the most weight and easier to stick with for the rest of your life I have a lot of weight to lose about 100 pounds so I am looking for something real good that works for the rest of my life and is not expensive. Any help would be great.

All diets work on the same premise...if one is losing weight on a low carb diet it is because they are in a calorie deficit. The carbs in and of themselves have nothing to do with weight management other than water weight...when you restrict an entire macro-nutrient, it's more likely than not that you're going to restrict a lot of calories as well.

lporter229

losergood2011 wrote: »

one thing - cook at home

I agree that this is key for a lot of people. Some people can eat out constantly and still maintain their weight, but this is the one thing that most people who are successful in losing and maintaining tend to have in common.

CarvedTones

One big advantage to cooking at home is knowing the ingredients and how much of things are used. A lot of veggies in restaurants are swimming in butter because it makes them taste better. Portions at restaurants have gotten ridiculous also. You also can't as easily add a brownie on a whim.