How'd you pick which weight loss program was best for you?

meagan8376

For those doing keto, weight watchers, IF ect...
Why'd you pick the one that you're on, why is it best suited for you?

TavistockToad

Calorie deficit...

layladrew26

Calorie deficit is the only thing that works for weight loss.

nutmegoreo

I tried a few different programs and found that they didn't suit my lifestyle and preferences. After failing at a few things, I tried focusing on calories and making small sustainable changes. It's been the best for me.

cmriverside

I knew for the past 50 years that calories in determined weight.

I went looking for a free calorie counting website in 2007, and landed here.

The rest - as they say - is history.

sijomial

I picked a dieting method that I thought would make adherence to a long term calorie deficit as easy as possible for me.
(I'm not following the method now as it was successful and I've been maintaining at goal weight for years.)

Bizarrely lots of people seem to go out of their way to make the process as hard and unpleasant as possible with unsustainable restrictions and excessive deficits.

Seffell

cmriverside wrote: »

I knew for the past 50 years that calories in determined weight.

I went looking for a free calorie counting website in 2007, and landed here.

The rest - as they say - is history.

Me too. Less than 50 though and the year was 2014.

middlehaitch

Me three, knew it was all about calories for about 40 years before I had to put it into practice to lose weight.
Moved to MFP in 2010 after using a now defunct site for 18month.

Cheers, h.

elsie6hickman

I find the best plan for me is calorie deficient. It's working for me.

kommodevaran

meagan8376 wrote: »

For those doing keto, weight watchers, IF ect...
Why'd you pick the one that you're on, why is it best suited for you?

I have a feeling you're a little confused?
Everybody loses weight through the same process - a calorie deficit over time. CICO. Eat less, move more.
Why someone would pick any particular diet - many reasons, somehow it just appeals - it's the first you hear about, or the one you hear the most about, the one that sounds most exciting, or most effective.
What is best suited to any given individual, is something else. The method should fit their lifestyle, personality, ethics and cognition.
Then there's a question of purpose. You'd think all dieters were aiming for weightloss, but for many, dieting is a social arena. And when it becomes a hobby, it's important that it doesn't produce lasting results, so any effort must be obvious, but only symbolic. Others have to see what you're doing; you must eat the foods that are approved by the group, and cut out some common foods to prove your devotion to the cause. And it must be a lot of work, so you feel you're doing something. If it's expensive too, that's a bonus.

Sorry, I've been here a long time and seen too much

meagan8376

kommodevaran wrote: »

meagan8376 wrote: »

For those doing keto, weight watchers, IF ect...
Why'd you pick the one that you're on, why is it best suited for you?

I have a feeling you're a little confused?
Everybody loses weight through the same process - a calorie deficit over time. CICO. Eat less, move more.
Why someone would pick any particular diet - many reasons, somehow it just appeals - it's the first you hear about, or the one you hear the most about, the one that sounds most exciting, or most effective.
What is best suited to any given individual, is something else. The method should fit their lifestyle, personality, ethics and cognition.
Then there's a question of purpose. You'd think all dieters were aiming for weightloss, but for many, dieting is a social arena. And when it becomes a hobby, it's important that it doesn't produce lasting results, so any effort must be obvious, but only symbolic. Others have to see what you're doing; you must eat the foods that are approved by the group, and cut out some common foods to prove your devotion to the cause. And it must be a lot of work, so you feel you're doing something. If it's expensive too, that's a bonus.

Sorry, I've been here a long time and seen too much

You're making OP more complicated then it has to be. I didn't ask for all that ^ .
I will say people pick a diet because it helps the process and it's just a tool for them. Don't derail the thread.

kommodevaran

meagan8376 wrote: »

kommodevaran wrote: »

meagan8376 wrote: »

For those doing keto, weight watchers, IF ect...
Why'd you pick the one that you're on, why is it best suited for you?

I have a feeling you're a little confused?
Everybody loses weight through the same process - a calorie deficit over time. CICO. Eat less, move more.
Why someone would pick any particular diet - many reasons, somehow it just appeals - it's the first you hear about, or the one you hear the most about, the one that sounds most exciting, or most effective.
What is best suited to any given individual, is something else. The method should fit their lifestyle, personality, ethics and cognition.
Then there's a question of purpose. You'd think all dieters were aiming for weightloss, but for many, dieting is a social arena. And when it becomes a hobby, it's important that it doesn't produce lasting results, so any effort must be obvious, but only symbolic. Others have to see what you're doing; you must eat the foods that are approved by the group, and cut out some common foods to prove your devotion to the cause. And it must be a lot of work, so you feel you're doing something. If it's expensive too, that's a bonus.

Sorry, I've been here a long time and seen too much

You're making OP more complicated then it has to be. I didn't ask for all that ^ .
I will say people pick a diet because it helps the process and it's just a tool for them. Don't derail the thread.

But people make it more complicated than it has to be - and that is reality, and I think it's good to know about it.
I picked a "lean, green and mean" diet because that was what I was familiar with, what my mother had done, what I believed I had to do to lose weight. Not because it helped me. It actually hurt me; I gained a lot of weight afterwards, and it messed up my relationship with food.
But when I found MFP, which can't really be called a diet, but rather a concept, it clicked. Logging what I eat, being encouraged to eat what I want, that is something else, it's a practical tool (or set of tools), for weight management and healty eating habits.
Nothing "helps the process", not in the sense I think you're looking for.

meagan8376

kommodevaran wrote: »

meagan8376 wrote: »

kommodevaran wrote: »

meagan8376 wrote: »

For those doing keto, weight watchers, IF ect...
Why'd you pick the one that you're on, why is it best suited for you?

I have a feeling you're a little confused?
Everybody loses weight through the same process - a calorie deficit over time. CICO. Eat less, move more.
Why someone would pick any particular diet - many reasons, somehow it just appeals - it's the first you hear about, or the one you hear the most about, the one that sounds most exciting, or most effective.
What is best suited to any given individual, is something else. The method should fit their lifestyle, personality, ethics and cognition.
Then there's a question of purpose. You'd think all dieters were aiming for weightloss, but for many, dieting is a social arena. And when it becomes a hobby, it's important that it doesn't produce lasting results, so any effort must be obvious, but only symbolic. Others have to see what you're doing; you must eat the foods that are approved by the group, and cut out some common foods to prove your devotion to the cause. And it must be a lot of work, so you feel you're doing something. If it's expensive too, that's a bonus.

Sorry, I've been here a long time and seen too much

You're making OP more complicated then it has to be. I didn't ask for all that ^ .
I will say people pick a diet because it helps the process and it's just a tool for them. Don't derail the thread.

But people make it more complicated than it has to be - and that is reality, and I think it's good to know about it.
I picked a "lean, green and mean" diet because that was what I was familiar with, what my mother had done, what I believed I had to do to lose weight. Not because it helped me. It actually hurt me; I gained a lot of weight afterwards, and it messed up my relationship with food.
But when I found MFP, which can't really be called a diet, but rather a concept, it clicked. Logging what I eat, being encouraged to eat what I want, that is something else, it's a practical tool (or set of tools), for weight management and healty eating habits.
Nothing "helps the process", not in the sense I think you're looking for.

Mfp is a program, if you're logging everything you eat and counting calories you're on a diet plan/ program.
That's all you had to say lol. Geez.

glassyo

I looked into a few different diets and ended up doing weight watchers because I could pretty much eat what I wanted but just had to stay within points. That was good for 90 lbs. When they changed the plan I was doing and I couldn't get all the info for free anymore, I moved onto counting calories. Gained 30 lbs back (I still think it had to do with only netting 700-1000 calories for so long on ww) but then it started coming off again. And I can still eat whatever the hell I want.

veganbaum

meagan8376 wrote: »

kommodevaran wrote: »

meagan8376 wrote: »

kommodevaran wrote: »

meagan8376 wrote: »

For those doing keto, weight watchers, IF ect...
Why'd you pick the one that you're on, why is it best suited for you?

I have a feeling you're a little confused?
Everybody loses weight through the same process - a calorie deficit over time. CICO. Eat less, move more.
Why someone would pick any particular diet - many reasons, somehow it just appeals - it's the first you hear about, or the one you hear the most about, the one that sounds most exciting, or most effective.
What is best suited to any given individual, is something else. The method should fit their lifestyle, personality, ethics and cognition.
Then there's a question of purpose. You'd think all dieters were aiming for weightloss, but for many, dieting is a social arena. And when it becomes a hobby, it's important that it doesn't produce lasting results, so any effort must be obvious, but only symbolic. Others have to see what you're doing; you must eat the foods that are approved by the group, and cut out some common foods to prove your devotion to the cause. And it must be a lot of work, so you feel you're doing something. If it's expensive too, that's a bonus.

Sorry, I've been here a long time and seen too much

You're making OP more complicated then it has to be. I didn't ask for all that ^ .
I will say people pick a diet because it helps the process and it's just a tool for them. Don't derail the thread.

But people make it more complicated than it has to be - and that is reality, and I think it's good to know about it.
I picked a "lean, green and mean" diet because that was what I was familiar with, what my mother had done, what I believed I had to do to lose weight. Not because it helped me. It actually hurt me; I gained a lot of weight afterwards, and it messed up my relationship with food.
But when I found MFP, which can't really be called a diet, but rather a concept, it clicked. Logging what I eat, being encouraged to eat what I want, that is something else, it's a practical tool (or set of tools), for weight management and healty eating habits.
Nothing "helps the process", not in the sense I think you're looking for.

Mfp is a program, if you're logging everything you eat and counting calories you're on a diet plan/ program.
That's all you had to say lol. Geez.

I think it's a really important point that kommodevaran is making for this thread, though, not a derailment at all. She's just reiterating the true statement that a calorie deficit is all that's needed, if the goal is to lose weight. Beyond that is preference, on occasion a diagnosed medical need, or sometimes the need to wear one's suffering or support for the latest fad for all to see.

VUA21

Calorie deficit. Trial and error, to see which way a calorie deficit would be easiest for me to adhere to.

I do almost pure portion size reduction while eating the exact same foods I've always had. Except granola, gave that up - flavor vs calories was just not worth it, a few slivered almonds and a giant strawberry add a lot more flavor to my yogurt for a lot less calories. So I still eat fast food, cookies, chips, and everything else - I now just have 1 cookie instead of the whole package.

TrishSeren

Calorie deficit. Works for me because I don't agree with cutting out whole food groups, allows me to eat everything (in moderation) and has taught me correct portion sizes. Turns out steak is higher calorie than I thought, yet rice is lower calorie than I thought.

AnvilHead

lynn_glenmont

I think many of these posts are misreading the OP. She asked

For those doing keto, weight watchers, IF ect...
Why'd you pick the one that you're on, why is it best suited for you?

That doesn't sound like she's asking what works best for everybody (calorie deficit). It sounds like she's asking about preferences and adherence -- for those that have chosen keto, WW, IF, etc., what about those approaches helps the people that choose them to stick to a calorie deficit. Which is exactly the reason that mainstream MFPers argue is why you should choose a particular approach -- because you like it, or it helps you stick to a deficit.

@meagan8376 , I don't really have anything to offer on what was suited for me, just on what wasn't suited for me.

Over the decades I have tried different "name" diets, including Atkins, cabbage soup, grapefruit, and several variations of diets that were similar to the 21-Day Fix long before anybody ever heard of BeachBody or thought that people couldn't use their own measuring cups to determine volume but needed a specific separate little box for each type of food -- although they all tended to specify how much you could have of what by meal, not by day.

And there were lots of "meal plan" diets that basically specified exactly what to eat at each meal for a month (then repeat, if you still needed to lose weight -- none of them, as I recall, had any concept of maintenance, and they must have all been pretty low-cal since there was no variation for starting weight, appropriate goal weight based on size, or activity level).

On several occasions I had even tried straight calorie counting, back in the days before the Internet, when you used a little book to look calories up (even name brand products, so I'm thinking calories on labels weren't common yet) and wrote it down on a small pad of paper that you carried around all day. Pads of paper were what the dinosaurs used before there were smart phones.

Most of them worked initially, but for me all of them except calorie-counting lacked flexibility, so eventually I gave up on them. I just couldn't live my life with narrowly prescribed food choices that might not fit was available at the work cafeteria, at the social event I was attending, or what I happened to have in the house. And calorie-counting, frankly, was a real PITA before an online crowd-sourced database that you could edit yourself, the USDA database online to check entries, regulations that require nutrition information on packaged food and many restaurant foods. Plus, back in the day, I didn't have a food scale, because most of my baking was from old family recipes or old cookbooks that only used volume measurement. By the time I started using MFP, I already had a food scale for baking because I had started expanding my horizons and using recipes with weight measurements.

So for me, flexibility helps with adherence, and anything that limits my flexibility hurts adherence.

AnvilHead

I chose eating foods I enjoy within the context of a reasonably balanced/nutritious diet, in amounts which create a calorie deficit (which is necessary for weight loss).

I chose it because I don't believe in arbitrary restrictions/eliminations of foods and/or entire food groups based upon hype and pseudoscience, and because it's the easiest and most sustainable path for me. And sustainability is the key to success.

smantha32

glassyo wrote: »

I looked into a few different diets and ended up doing weight watchers because I could pretty much eat what I wanted but just had to stay within points. That was good for 90 lbs. When they changed the plan I was doing and I couldn't get all the info for free anymore, I moved onto counting calories. Gained 30 lbs back (I still think it had to do with only netting 700-1000 calories for so long on ww) but then it started coming off again. And I can still eat whatever the hell I want.

I had the same problem with WW. I sat down and figured out that the points allotted me added up to about 1300 calories typically. Then I just worked on it from here.