DIET yay or nay poll

denise_earheart

What do you guys think of the Atkins,South Beach or whatever else there is for low-no carb dieting.. Honestly that is the only diet I have done in the past and actually seen results ... Just curious on your thoughts!

denise_earheart

Or is there one better???????

lmelangley

I don't believe in "diets", per say. For me, a diet is just the kinds of foods you eat in general. I don't believe in "diets" like Atkins, South Beach, etc... because I know that if I don't change my eating habits for the better for good, any short term loss will be lost and I'll gain as much, if not more, than I've lost once I've gone back to my old diet- which just wasn't working. My way is much slower, but I figure that it's more sustainable for me, personally. And, I get to have whatever I want, as long as I make the choice to use my calories in that way.

Dstny1957

If I had to pick one I guess I would go with the South Beach. I'm not a fan of the Atkins. I had several friends/family members have some really bad medical issues after going on that one. I'm not a fan of any diet that it's ok to eat a pound of bacon and a block of cheese. But that's just me.

And I agree with the poster above. I think it really has to be a life change. Portion control for me is key. Saying it's 1/2 cup and actually realizing what 1/2 cup really looked like was key!

Good luck!

SergeantSunshine_reused

I heard of this awesome new diet!! I heard everyone was doing it

I think its called the "eat right and exercise diet" I'm jumping on the bandwagon!

denise_earheart

If I had to pick one I guess I would go with the South Beach. I'm not a fan of the Atkins. I had several friends/family members have some really bad medical issues after going on that one. I'm not a fan of any diet that it's ok to eat a pound of bacon and a block of cheese. But that's just me.

UMMMMM ya I would do that per say LOL but I am thinking on the lines of an egg white and veggie omelet for breakfast chicken salad for lunch fish and veggies dinner .....

denise_earheart

If I had to pick one I guess I would go with the South Beach. I'm not a fan of the Atkins. I had several friends/family members have some really bad medical issues after going on that one. I'm not a fan of any diet that it's ok to eat a pound of bacon and a block of cheese. But that's just me.

UMMMMM ya I would do that per say LOL but I am thinking on the lines of an egg white and veggie omelet for breakfast chicken salad for lunch fish and veggies dinner .....

wouldn't*

denise_earheart

Ya it is tough and the weight coming off soooooo slowly makes it VERY discouraging

dmouse0225

I tried South Beach, and it actually made me really sick in the first few days (My sister had the same issue cutting carbs... must be in our genes). But people tell me they have had great results from Atkins. At the same time, they have also said it was hard to stick to, they're body reacts to food differently (not in a good way), and developed some health issues. I don't know enough about it to really give an opinion, but in theory I am a fan of a "balanced" diet rather than cutting food groups.

tigersword

I don't diet. Never have. I did not lose 52 pounds on any type of "diet." I just eat sensibly. The way to lose fat is to burn more calories than you eat, all those weird, restrictive, expensive diets just trick you into eating less. It's that simple.

_GlaDOS_

Ya it is tough and the weight coming off soooooo slowly makes it VERY discouraging

You didn't put on the weight overnight, so it's certainly not going to come off overnight. Fuel your body properly, exercise, continue educating yourself about nutrition and fitness, and have patience. :flowerforyou:

diriadams

I did Dr. Bernstein took 9 months to lose 90 lbs and exactly 90 to gain it back. I am now trying common sense. There is no easy way to do this and crazy diets are not the way to go. I had a nutritionist tell me to stop paying money and follow the Canada food guide. She said if more people did they would be better off. If diets like weight watchers, Dr B, south Beach worked we would not be on this site doing it ourselves. I doubt many of us have not paid big money to these commercial programs with little long term results.

SimplyShanRunning

Ya it is tough and the weight coming off soooooo slowly makes it VERY discouraging

You didn't put on the weight overnight, so it's certainly not going to come off overnight. Fuel your body properly, exercise, continue educating yourself about nutrition and fitness, and have patience. :flowerforyou:

This Its not a diet .....Work on it being a lifestyle change.

vingogly

I use South Beach as a rule of thumb for food choices, and log my food/water/exercise here (when I remember to do so). Atkins and South Beach seem to be pretty close; my doctor recommended a low carb diet to me. I chose South Beach because it focuses on counting carb portions rather than grams, doesn't limit veggies, and keeping saturated fats to a minimum (which with my and my family's cardiovascular history is probably a good idea). It seems a little simpler to me.

The other part is behavioral change, and that's where I think ALL diets fall down. And I think that's why so many of us have seesawed on on weights. For the behavioral part, I'm partial to Evelyn Tribole's Intuitive Eating: eat only what you like, eat when you're hungry, stop when you're satisfied, eat slowly and enjoy it, get moving and exercise. I also like that she emphasizes there are No Bad Foods. Other versions of her approach are sometimes called mindful eating. And part of it for myself is not weighing myself too often, so I don't become obsessed with what the numbers on the dial are doing.

Although Intuitive Eating frowns on using a diet, it does advise making better food choices once you've convinced yourself that you can truly eat what you want. So what seems to be working for me is: journaling here, making better choices using the South Beach guidelines, and focusing on mindful (rather than mindless) eating.

chachita7

i don't diet - I eat what I feel like eating and i do so in moderation and i workout 6 days a week, mix of cardio and weight training. At least to me the word diet makes me want to go to McDs and get a large fry - I go for fries when i'm stressed (haven't done so in a few months, lol)

If you research some, you will find that most of the people who go on such diets gain very quickly once they are of it (not saying there haven't been successful cases) - when you are eating mindfully and losing slowly, you are also creating good habits. A lil of everything on your plate will give you the nutrients your body needs and before you know it you start making better choices in what you are putting into your body.

Also, if you really think about your weight and how long it actually takes someone to put on those extra 20 lbs, then you are able to gain a better understanding and expectation of how long it should take you to lose it.

denise_earheart

I use South Beach as a rule of thumb for food choices, and log my food/water/exercise here (when I remember to do so). Atkins and South Beach seem to be pretty close; my doctor recommended a low carb diet to me. I chose South Beach because it focuses on counting carb portions rather than grams, doesn't limit veggies, and keeping saturated fats to a minimum (which with my and my family's cardiovascular history is probably a good idea). It seems a little simpler to me.

The other part is behavioral change, and that's where I think ALL diets fall down. And I think that's why so many of us have seesawed on on weights. For the behavioral part, I'm partial to Evelyn Tribole's Intuitive Eating: eat only what you like, eat when you're hungry, stop when you're satisfied, eat slowly and enjoy it, get moving and exercise. I also like that she emphasizes there are No Bad Foods. Other versions of her approach are sometimes called mindful eating. And part of it for myself is not weighing myself too often, so I don't become obsessed with what the numbers on the dial are doing.


I agree... I also have a friend who only ate when she was hungry and started to lose the weight like crazy. I think everyone's body is different. Actually my DR recommended I do low-no carb as an option.. I also am thinking of going to the weight loss center to see if there is anything they can come up with for me ... but I know also need to exercise and eat balanced... soooo many choices ughhhh
Although Intuitive Eating frowns on using a diet, it does advise making better food choices once you've convinced yourself that you can truly eat what you want. So what seems to be working for me is: journaling here, making better choices using the South Beach guidelines, and focusing on mindful (rather than mindless) eating.

Deuxtrouble

I have tried a lot of diets for a couple of reasons. I only needed to lose 10 - 15 lbs, I was lazy, I didn't want to exercise because I smoked. Every single one that I have tried I have succeeded in and lost weight. However I was nasty to everyone around me, had no energy, was irritable, couldn't concentrate - basically because I was starving to death. And the bonus - after 10 or 15 days, all of it had come back again.

This time I want health first - exercise, good eating and a lifestyle change along with that. My fridge is now stocked with fruits and veggies, I make most everything and try to stay away from packaged goods, I read labels as well.

One of the side effects of getting healthy has been a weight loss. I only have 12 more pounds to go to my goal and I have never felt better in my entire life. I am energized, not tired, eating the things I like in moderation, exercising and looking forward to it (most of the time LOL). I haven't had abs since I was 11 and swimming competitively and I am starting to see the beginning of them.

So for me - I would go the route I have gone.

V3ggieL0vinGinger

I think Atkins is incredible! I'm not doing it currently, but when I did it a few months ago I lost about 7 pounds in the first 2 weeks. I agree that it's never healthy to eat huge amounts of unhealthy, overly fatty foods...but in moderation they're good!

cowgirlashlee

I heard of this awesome new diet!! I heard everyone was doing it

I think its called the "eat right and exercise diet" I'm jumping on the bandwagon!

^^I'm jumping on the same bandwagon! I don't believe in doing a strict diet...just eating better, exercising better, and not letting myself fall into the fast food slump when I'm on the go.

LauraSmyth28

There is no doubt that Atkins and South Beach work.

But they're NOT for me. I prefer to just count my calories and do my exercise. Losing weight is just basic maths. Eat less than you burn, and your body will burn fat stores instead. Easy.

This way is a lot easier to stick with. My mother did Atkins for a long time, and it was so hard for her socially. It was always "oh I can't eat that, I'll just have that". How boring. Eat everything, but in moderation.

And the slower you lose, the less likely you are to put it back on (not sure why, but I think it's true).

I do think of myself as being on a diet though. I have no intention of counting calories for the rest of my life.

For_the_Last_Time

Did your diet in the past actually work? I ask because you are here again right? If you put the weight back on it didn't work ..... You have to put in your mind that it is something you have to do for the rest of your life. Not saying you can never have choclate, ice cream, cake or whatever again but you need to figure out a balance and how to fit them into your new lifestyle and what you should be consuming in calories.


I am saying this as someone who has been there done that bought the t-shirt. Never again. If all of times that I have lost weight I would have done it in a way that I could do for life I wouldn't be doing it yet again! So much wasted effort to do it all over again.


Whatever you decide to do good luck!