Keto/Paleo/WW/MFP/Vegan......

Keto_Tranform_Me

So many diet plans I just don't know which one is right for me or the healthiest option long-term. What are you doing to successfully lose weight (especially if you are prediabetic and have hypertension)? I welcome sound advice and success stories. Thank you💙

MichelleSilverleaf

Pick the one you feel you can stick to long-term. Doing any way of eating purely for weight loss seems to run the risk of regain and yo-yo dieting. Eat foods you enjoy in portions that help you maintain a reasonable deficit. Get plenty of fruit and veg you like. Get adequate protein. Spend the first month learning how to track accurately and using a food scale to weigh all your solids. Eat foods that help you stay satisfied longer so that you're not hungry in an hour. Don't feel like you have to deprive yourself of treats or meals out, learn to make them work in your plan.

I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic. Reduced (not eliminated) the amount of sugar I was consuming, lost weight, did a second blood test about a year later (I think), was out of pre-diabetic range.

NovusDies

Enter your information into MFP, select an appropriate rate of loss, and start logging what you eat. After about a week look to see where you can cut some calories in either portion size or in things you can eat or drink less often until you can eat inside your calorie goal each day. If you are consistently hungry come back and get some tips on adjusting macros or trying different ways to distribute your calories.

The best plan is the one you design for yourself.

Panini911

i picked none of the above. my diet has no fancy name.

i eat foods i like and keep me full at a calorie deficit. obviously it means i have to made decisions on foods that eat up too many calories and don't keep me full.

here is a great post
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm/p1

JohnnytotheB

I don't know your specifics but you have to find something that you can be comfortable doing for the long term. You will have to try different things to see what works the best for you.

Danp

The right one is the one you enjoy, that you find natural and effortless and allows you to feel happy and satisfied while eating an appropriate amount of calories.

Finding the right one is easy:
Step 1. Try one of the plans
Step 2. Assess eating plan (what did you like? what did you dislike? Is it easy? etc)
Step 3. Stop doing stuff you didn't like, didn't find easy, wasn't right
Step 4. Keep doing things you did like, did find easy, felt right and natural
Step 5. Try something new and repeat steps 2-4

There's no magic bullet, no best approach and no super secret. Just do what works for you

lemurcat2

You don't need a named diet (WW and MFP aren't diets, just ways of tracking calories).

There are actually some things that most people can agree are healthy:

Eat a lot of veg and (if you want) some fruit.

Eat sufficient fiber (in addition to veg and fruit, beans and lentils, whole grains, nuts and seeds are good sources).

Eat some sources of omega-3 fats and other poly and monosaturated fats (sources of so called "healthy fats" are fish, avocado, olives and olive oils, nuts and seeds, among others).

Eat sufficient protein (ideally some variety of fish, lean meats, eggs, maybe dairy if it works for you, beans and lentils, nuts and seeds are more fat but have some too).

Find an eating pattern and mix of foods that works for you and helps you feel full on a calorie-appropriate diet.

Don't cut too low or cut out foods that you enjoy, you want your diet to be sustainable.

Feel free to try something and change if it's not working.

Exercise is healthy.

Beyond all this, since you asked about weight loss, calories are what determine weight loss. And although I highly recommend finding a healthy diet you enjoy, even hypertension and insulin resistance often respond just to weight loss (with adding more exercise often being the next best thing you can do).

nvmomketo

I chose low carb healthy fats (LCHF), down to ketogenic carb levels, to treat my prediabetes and autotimmune issues. If you lower carbs, you lower insulin and blood glucose, which will usually reverse prediabetes. At the very least, BG numbers tend to improve within days for those who are prediabetic.

Lower insulin also cause water and electrolyte losses which often improves BP.

I found it sustainable. It improved my health and I felt better so it is not too hard for me to stick to. Good luck.

paperpudding

Well, some of the things are not mutually exclusive - one could be doing keto and vegan and any of keto, paleo, vegan and WW or MFP.

Question seems a bit like Which shall I do - library books, science fiction, or paperbacks?

Don't over complicate it - just put your stats in to MFP, choose an appropriate rate of loss, and then eat accurately to that calorie allowance, aiming also for a reasonably balanced diet.

Neither keto, paleo or vegan are going to make you lose weight unless your calorie intake is right. And you can get your calorie intake right with or without doing any of them.
So, for compliance and enjoyment of life sake, I would do none - unless I wanted to for reasons other than weight loss.

bluesheeponahill

well regardless of any 'diet' plan, i still count my calories. I am pre-diabetic as well as hypertension. i used MFP to figure out my calorie goal. as I have PCOS, it didn't help my body wasn't a fan of carbs, so i just did low carbs rather than eliminate carbs. I'm also doing IF of 16:8 under my doctor's advice. basically I eat my calorie limit between 10am and 6pm, so I'm still having 3 main meals a day, but this method has helped me meet my calorie limit and not feel hungry. I've been on this for 6 months though and it did take a while of readjusting stuff to work out what's best for me. I did simple things like swapping rice out for cauliflower rice, pasta for chickpea or pea pasta, getting portion controlled desserts rather than 1 litre tub of ice cream as I have no self control. same thing with soft drinks, I switched them for soda water and a food scale. It meant i didn't get the feeling of 'missing out' or 'restricting' my diet, but these things helped me make those small changes into long term ones now where I don't feel the urge or desire to eat sweets or bag of chips without thought.

I will reiterate, this is what is working for ME. it may not work for you. but if you're just starting out, I would honestly just count the calories and eat less processed food. avoid things that are heavily processed. you may find yourself less hungry if you're going for more wholesome foods.

Good luck.

Lenala13

If you’re worried about hypertension, then you’d probably be looking to reduce Sodium intake. The Dash diet has some good low sodium options/recipes. Otherwise, what everyone else said. Best diet is one you can sustain indefinitely.

Caralarma

You dont need to be on any named diet to lose weight. In fact if it has a name, like keto or paleo, it's probably not going to last. The trick is to stop over eating and this can be achieved in one of two ways: either use mfp to log your calories and try include foods that will keep you full. Everyone is different. Some people require bigger portions of 'healthy' food to keep them full and achieve a calorie deficit, while others like me feel full after eating a muffin or a snack. As long as you dont go above the number that mfp gives you, your good.

Secondly, you can try simply doing as explained above without actually logging everything. Even though success is more likely when you log, some people may simply need to understand the importance of portion size to have success. I'm only suggesting this incase the thought of logging everything seems like a mission.

Bottom line - it has to be something you can do long term.

Muscleflex79

As others said, pick what works for you - since it all comes down to this anyways.

kshama2001

Panini911 wrote: »

i picked none of the above. my diet has no fancy name.

i eat foods i like and keep me full at a calorie deficit. obviously it means i have to made decisions on foods that eat up too many calories and don't keep me full.

here is a great post
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm/p1

You beat me to it!

ultra_violets

I'm on keto. I adapted to it pretty easily and it works well for me.

vanityy99

SugarTree78 wrote: »

So many diet plans I just don't know which one is right for me or the healthiest option long-term. What are you doing to successfully lose weight (especially if you are prediabetic and have hypertension)? I welcome sound advice and success stories. Thank you💙

The first pounds I lost was from eating in moderation and exercising, my weight-loss was stalling so I started doing keto and my weight started dropping again. Now I’m at goal and maintaining, off keto. I don’t think it’s practical for me to be on a diet plan or micromanage calories or macros or weigh foods for the rest of my life.

mbg_pr

Me and my husband have been vegan for little over a year. It was the best decision we've ever made. We have energy, a healthy weight, and we feel good about how a vegan lifestyle supports sustainability and an improved environment. And yes, I get tons of soy-free protein from foods. There is not a single documented case of protein deficiency in vegeyarians/vegans, so don't let that misguide your choice!

emmamcgarity

My sister follows DASH per her doctor’s orders for hypertension. It helped her avoid meds. I follow DASH loosely to support her (80% compliant). Both of us count calories for weight loss. Between DASH and increased exercise she was able to reduce her blood pressure even though she hasn’t lost weight recently (due to going over calories).

Almost any weight loss diet boils down to a calorie deficit. Ways of eating to control medical issues are a great conversation for you to have with your doctor about your specific situation.

TrishSeren

Just want to comment that a vegan diet isn't a weight loss plan, it's an ethical standpoint.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

paperpudding

TrishSeren wrote: »

Just want to comment that a vegan diet isn't a weight loss plan, it's an ethical standpoint.

Neither is keto or paleo - they are not weight loss plans either, just ways of eating, just like veganism

although, yes, I get that veganism is a way of eating with an ethical standpoint underpinning it for most people.