How many diets and gimmicks have you tried?

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GraceOnAMission
GraceOnAMission Posts: 19 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I'm new as of today! Hello everyone! I'm excited about starting over on my weight loss goals. It's taken me about four months to just get my thinking right and about three weeks of convincing myself that I love fitness. I've been to the gym twice this week and I think I'm ready for some accountability now. I'm realizing that if the motivation isn't ingrained deep in my heart to want to change, I will not have lasting change. I believe I've turned the corner. I'm ready. Let's do this!

It's no big secret--it really is about eating right and exercising. The missing factor in the past is that I've wanted a plan or gimmick to do it for me. I've accepted my responsibility. I'm working toward losing one pound a week for 50 weeks--almost one year. Can I do it? Here are some things that I've tried--some with good results, some with bad. What have you tried? And what has made the difference for you? I would love to hear from you!

1) Food combining
2) Weigh Down Workshop
3) First Place for Health
4) Fasting
5) Some kind of herbal supplement like Hydroxycut
6) Calorie Counting
7) Michael Thurman
8) Biggest Loser Challenge at work
9) Herbalife Shakes
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Replies

  • tweety170
    tweety170 Posts: 167
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    Sounds like you're now in the right state of mind to really do this! Feel free to add me as a friend. :)

    I've done Atkins, Weight Watchers, Sparkpeople, and I now drink Shakeology/workout 6 days a week. Atkins is totally unsustainable, but all the other things have been the same concept--calories in, calories out. You must have a deficit in order to lose weight. The only different with what I'm doing now is that I actually enjoy it instead of it being a chore. Good luck and welcome!
  • unhinge
    unhinge Posts: 318 Member
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    I think I have tried every gimmick in the book! Don't feel bad about starting over and how long it has taken. It has taken me a lifetime to get here. I am so thru with the latest diet book, craze, pill, drink, gimmick. I only want a plan I can live with for the rest of my life. I have found one with MFP and it's FREE. Dang I could have saved a bundle and retired by now if I had found this years ago :))
  • taso42_DELETED
    taso42_DELETED Posts: 3,394 Member
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    I've never tried any "diet" or gimmicky thing. That stuff never seemed appealing or effective.
  • PNWriter
    PNWriter Posts: 223 Member
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    I've tried Atkins, Weight Watchers, Optifast, Medifast, to no avail. MFP is awesome. I really feel like I've changed my life.
  • tannaleigh
    tannaleigh Posts: 188 Member
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    I've tried weight watchers, eating paleo, and have come to learn that this is what works for me.... weight watchers was a good concept, but too much work figuring out points... tracking with MFP is the easiest.. I lost good amounts of weight eating paleo..but I just couldn't give up carbs forever.... and eating so much meat is pretty expensive!

    With the aid of my breastfeeding son, MFP has really been working for me! I've lost 13 lbs in the last 30 days... its a little faster that I had thought or would like, but I am eating well and enough to sustain my milk supply which is the most important factor!

    Welcome to MFP. feel free to add me :) good luck on your journey, its a difficult one, but one of the most rewarding!
  • cardbucfan
    cardbucfan Posts: 10,431 Member
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    I can't count that high without aid of a calculator!! This site, counting calories, watching my portions and eating everything in moderation is the only long term, lasting weight loss thing I have ever done. All my friends no longer say "wow, you've lost so much weight you look great!". Now they say "wow, you are keeping the weight off so well, you look great!". Awesome motivation to not backslide (well, and the closet full of new clothes!) Welcome!
  • jkleman79
    jkleman79 Posts: 706 Member
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    I've tried Atkins, Weight Watchers, Optifast, Medifast, to no avail. MFP is awesome. I really feel like I've changed my life.

    You didnt have any luck with medifast? I was actually on it for 3 months and lost 40 pounds. Then I realized from blood tests that I was in severe ketosis. Not for everyone for sure. I learned I need a minimum of 1900 calories a day to survive. I burn 2300 calories sleeping. So the 1250 a day I was getting from medifast was not good for me. I have women friends that are on it and love it. Was just curious thats all. =0)
  • heyitsmekatie
    heyitsmekatie Posts: 544 Member
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    Hi! I've tried a number of them too...

    Weight Watchers
    Atkins
    Suzanne Somers plan where you space out your carb meals from your protein (not sure what it's called)
    Some weird diet that goes 3 days on, 4 days off and tells you exactly what to eat and makes you eat beets - yuck!
    SlimFast
    First Place

    I had a lot of success with First Place -- it was a plan that tells you the number of servings you can consume a day for your selected calorie goal (bread, meat, dairy, fruit, veg). Very similar to what I'm doing here.
  • ashahl
    ashahl Posts: 81
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    Fasting and starvation. Worked like a charm and I dropped fifty five pounds in about half a year...but I I also ended up with an eating disorder and almost killed myself.

    Healthy lifestyle is Definitely the way to go :P
  • sweebum
    sweebum Posts: 1,060 Member
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    I did Weight Watchers at 14, Atkins, South Beach, 1200 calorie a day, eating once a day.

    Now I eat and exercise and cut the BS. Who knew? :laugh:
  • jmwaldren
    jmwaldren Posts: 2 Member
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    I've tried CalBan 2000, Atkins, Michael Thurman, a few gym memberships, Weight Watchers, South Beach Diet, Slim Fast, Weigh Down Workshop, Medifast. Currently using Herbalife products and supplements. It's interesting to see how many of us have tried the same things. But even with using the Herbalife products, I STILL HAVE TO EAT RIGHT AND EXERCISE. Thanks for opening the topic! You sound excited about MFP. I am too! I just started using this 3 days ago, and I have managed to stay very close to my calorie goal each day!
  • mursey
    mursey Posts: 191 Member
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    I love Atkins and Paleo and Blood Type Diet. I never did well with "low fat". I couldn't lose a pound even though I worked out and ate whole grain low fat foods. I guess everyone has something that works for them.

    Oh, I was also a vegetarian for 10 years, and ran long distance. I was fatter doing that than eating meat and weight lifting like I do today.
  • dbanks80
    dbanks80 Posts: 3,685 Member
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    I've done:

    Weight Watchers (Had great success)
    South Beach Diet (Bad always starving)
    LA Weight Loss (Had great success) Pad hundreds of dollars!!!!
    Paid for Nutritionist to come up with meal plan (Worked)

    Most of them I lost significant amounts of weight and gained it all back and then some!!! I didnt learn to eat healthy as a lifestyle.

    MFP is working great for me. I have lost 35 lbs thus far since last August and have not gained any of it yet. The best part for me is I am doing it for FREE!!!

    MFP keeps me accountable so I am more conscious of what I am eating. And it is helping me to switch my mindset to a permanent way of healthy eating for life!

    I also exercise but I've always done that even with the weight. I love to exercise.
  • islandnutshel
    islandnutshel Posts: 1,143 Member
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    I've learned from some of them. Not sure what I learned from the cabbage soup diet, except crop-dusting.
    Fit for life. I still food combine when feeling sluggish.
    I have tried slim fast shakes, and I still love smoothies.
    Fasting I do once a year, starting with food combining. I just find it helps me keep the food allergies at bay.
    I was never good at following a detailed plan, I do enjoy reading about principles behind diets then picking useful hints.
  • shrinkingkristy
    shrinkingkristy Posts: 14 Member
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    I've tried Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Atkins, Slim Fast, and some horrible cabbge soup diet my grandmother swore would work.
  • cookieinbluboots
    cookieinbluboots Posts: 1
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    Ive tried everything, WW, slimming world, Atkins even the cabbage soup diet, all were either too expense or left me starving. now Ive just started Diet chef, so far its going good and is so much easy having everything ready made but watching my family eat "normal" foods can be a killer! but hopefully this will be the one for me...good luck everyone with your weight loss!
  • carpar1
    carpar1 Posts: 211 Member
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    Hi and Welcome to MFP! I have tried the following:

    Jenny Craig
    Atkins
    Suzanne Somers
    South Beach
    The Zone

    Lots of wasted money......it all comes down to me, I am in control of what I choose to eat. Good luck, you will love it here!
  • missxena
    missxena Posts: 70
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    hi tried loads and failed :tongue:


    1) ww
    2) be-yu
    3) cabbage soup diet
    4) british heart diet
    5) atkins
    6) slim fast
    7) maple syrup diet
    8) vlcd shakes
    9) diet chef
    10) go lower
  • JohnnyNull
    JohnnyNull Posts: 294 Member
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    Lots and lots. Took me quite a while to learn my lesson:

    Suck it up and work. No shortcuts.
  • Triquetra
    Triquetra Posts: 270 Member
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    Cabbage Soup Diet
    Heart Smart Diet (they give to patients to lose weight for major heart surgery)
    Atkins
    Acupuncture
    Went to Dietition
    Went to Nutritionist
    Herbal Magic

    And now MFP.....like it so far! Easier to track calories, free and no handful of pills to swallow and I can eat things I actually like!

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