What diet worked for you?

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  • trophywife24
    trophywife24 Posts: 1,472 Member
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    No diet. Portion control, moderation,getting off of my lazy a**. Who knew?
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    I would just like to know what kinda diet worked for those who has had major weightloss.Did you use diet pills,meal replacements,or did you make a total lifestyle change eating healthy?And how long did it take you to reach your goal weight?

    All I have done was figure out how many calories I burn on an average day, and eat less than that on a consistent basis. I make sure I get plenty of protein, remind myself to have veggies with my meals, and limited my sweets and beer and other high calorie items to stay under my goal. I refuse to give up sugar and all my favorite foods, but have resigned myself to limiting them based on my calorie goals. I refuse to eat a "planned" diet or to replace my food with "shakes," and I've already taken more stimulants in my lifetime than most people would ever consider doing, so pretty much done with that. (Well, no not really. I still enjoy my stimulants. :laugh: :tongue:)

    ETA: Oh, and my first day on MFP was July 5, so it has been just over 5 months, and I expect it to be at least another 6 months or so for the last 60 pounds.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    Just everything in moderation. There are no miracle diets. You have to apply that mindset to your whole life, and not think in terms of being 'on' a diet (in my opinion).

    Yep.
  • Colombianchick29
    Colombianchick29 Posts: 298 Member
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    Im not really good at planning so a diet dies not work for me. I am sticking to 1200 calories a day, and making better choices. I have lost 6 pounds so far ( started like a month ago) and also working out. This is the most I have EVER lost on my own, with no diet pills or supplements. I feel great! Whenever I have taken diet pills or supplements, I loose alot of weight but as soon as I stop, I gain it all back, and MORE!

    Definatly a lifestyle change. I still have the stuff I love, but once in a while and just a little bit.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    Paleo/Clean eating diet

    :laugh:
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
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    The one where you eat slightly less then your TDEE and exercise several times a week. That works out to be about 1700 plus exercise calories for me. It ranged from 1700 calories if I literally stayed in bed studying all day, to about 4000 calories (day hikes or surplus days). Less then a year and over 30 lbs off (and I was on the slimmer side, it's harder to lose weight the lighter you get).

    I prefer eating real fresh foods because they're tasty and contain nutrients that aren't processed. I'm more concerned with balance so I invested some time into reading about nutrition. I found out I was drastically cutting calories on MFP recommendation (1200 calories) so I changed that based on the math I read and it worked (and has worked for hundreds of people who asked me about it after). I found out I should be eating more protein. The RDI (and mfp) recommend the minimum amount for a sedentary person to avoid protein deficiency. After reading up I personally should have been having over 90g of protein a day. Since I'm a poor student and can't always have the greatest freshest of food and the reasons listed above I invested in some processed protein powder for when I'm stuck in a library and no chickens are available. I want to get a little of everything...Among many other reasons I try to get protein to retain muscle fibers, fat to absorb delicious vegetable nutrients, carbs to give my body energy (especially for my long hikes). But I have my fair share of oreos :D I also became aware of how little calcium I took so I try to get lots of that now. I'll also eat deep fried fish now (I hardly get iron, and I'm not a fan of fish but I'll eat it deep fried, preferably if I don't have a whole lot of fat that day). I've also discovered avocados! I think many people don't like them because they assume it's a fruit you can just knaw on. I prefer to use it like butter...

    My best advice to you is I think people try to cut out to much while dieting...to much calories...a part of a food group (ie the fat is evil people). I think it's more about balance and variety. And for the sake of health, exercise.

    As you can see it worked :)
  • modsuperstar
    modsuperstar Posts: 9 Member
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    I don't like to even claim that I'm on a diet, it's just logging what I do and understand what my caloric intake is. I can still eat fast food or go out to restaurants, but I also understand that those choices have a cost. So if I know I'm going out with friends for dinner and know I want to have a couple beers I'm mindful of that. I keep my calorie intake for the day low and save up for times when I want to indulge. Logging food is key. It's not a diet or a fad thing, it's just understanding that if you eat less calories than you burn, you will lose weight, that's a fact.

    I also realize that I'm going to have good and bad spells and not to be discouraged by them. I personally find my weight loss is cyclical. I typically try to work my week so that I'll hit a new low the day after I play soccer. I may be up a few pounds after the weekend, but keeping disciplined on weekends definitely helps.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    Lifestyle change - I'm in it for good. Can't make temporary changes and expect permanent results. :bigsmile:

    I found the info & tools in this topic to be very helpful: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
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    Mah Fitness Palz worked realz well for meeez
  • Amberonamission
    Amberonamission Posts: 836 Member
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    Every DIET has failed me. Works for a little bit of time but the second I lax bam. weigh lost + some more back on. This time I am recreating every recipe I have to make them as low as possible. Something I can just do for the rest of my days, joyfully.

    We eat out much less. And I workout more than I used to.
  • Mrs_Duh
    Mrs_Duh Posts: 263
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    I have made a lifestyle change and now eat Paleo (also known as Primal or the Caveman diet).
  • RoadsterGirlie
    RoadsterGirlie Posts: 1,195 Member
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    I lost 90 lbs with Weight Watchers Points Plus. Tried making the change to counting calories on MFP in order to save $18 a month, but couldn't do it. Counting points is easier for me.
  • JenLovesFall
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    I follow Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Diet as much as I can. I am realistic about it and do allow sweets sometimes - plus we are on a very tight budget and I can't afford whole foods all the time. But eating this way I typically lose 2-3 lbs a week... and I only exercise about 15 minutes a day/4 days a week. Just eating this way makes me feel amazing!
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
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    I changed my lifestyle. I eat healthier, I move more, I actually ENJOY running and picking up heavy things now. There was no "I cut this and that out of what I was eating." It was portion control, making sure I get fruits, veggies, carbs, proteins.. etc. If I want something outside of the norm, I'll have it now and then.

    It took hard work, determination, and just sticking to my choice.
  • GrnEyes839
    GrnEyes839 Posts: 74 Member
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    There's no one right answer. Everyone is different, we lose weight differently, we are built differently. You have to do what works for your body type, your level of commitment. I will say that what worked for me was a picture of me on a cruise we went on. 42 lbs heavier, I was self conscious. I made the decision that it was time for me to do something for me. I tracked everything I put in my mouth. gum, food, water, juice, everything. I noticed my sugar intake was a lot higher than I had ever anticipated. I also found that my carb intake, the bad carbs was just as high. I opted for egg whites, lean meat, protein, veggies, no candy, cookies, limited bread, but kept up with whole grain, whole wheat, chicken, ground turkey, veggies etc.. I also eat 5 small meals instead of 3 big. I drink about 100 oz of water, no soda, no juice, limited coffee. Once the weight started coming off I felt so great I didn't and wont resort back to my old life style. It's up to you to make it happen, and with some friends (like here on MFP) you can do ANYTHING you set your mind to. You have to eat, you have to breathe, and you have to move.
  • Mattjersan
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    my goal is to lost about 60-70 pounds total, i started at 235 and i'm down to 216. I have been working with a diet strong in fruits, vegetables, greens, and nuts. I still use things in moderation, i.e. sugar, lean beef, carbs, etc. Most days i have a salad with some chicken in it and alot of veg and nuts. dinners something in moderation, and healthy snacks during the day. My A!C blood sugar came down the last time i tested it, however it was still about 6.1, which is diabetic. My goal is to get down at least to 175 and better yet 165. I want to be off the diabetes metformin pills and feeling a lot better. I joke i want to get rid of "baby" lol, so that's a big goal too. I go to the gym every day, sometimes twice a day. I do some walking and sometimes bikes, then work out opposing groups, whatever isn't sore. It seems to be working so far.

    But i have to admit : i am positive that the lifestyle change will do it for me. I work an internet business and spend a lot of time on my a** not doing anything. It really took the shock of hearing i was going diabetic to motivate me into doing something about it.

    matt
  • Mattjersan
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    I changed my lifestyle. I eat healthier, I move more, I actually ENJOY running and picking up heavy things now. There was no "I cut this and that out of what I was eating." It was portion control, making sure I get fruits, veggies, carbs, proteins.. etc. If I want something outside of the norm, I'll have it now and then.

    It took hard work, determination, and just sticking to my choice.

    Great answer :D
  • clouxles
    clouxles Posts: 71 Member
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    Ideal Protein Diet... Lost 50 lbs in 10 weeks

    I was working my *kitten* off (figure of speech) at the gym but my lifestyle was causing me to gain weight. So I found this diet - the science behind it was good... so I did it.

    Now I use MFP to balance what I eat and my workouts... I had a 3 week vacation to the UK and gained 5 lbs... which I have lost over the last 10 weeks by using the gym and MFP to track it all.

    FYI the diet was very hard to do...as I am sure they all are.

    Good Luck!
  • 1960HikerDude
    1960HikerDude Posts: 215 Member
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    Forget diets. Change your lifestyle.

    1) Eat real food. If it can't go bad, it's bad for you. If it can go bad, it's good for you. If bacteria can't thrive on it, neither can you. Shop on the outside of the supermarket (where the refrigerators are). Stay away from processed food. Eat food closest to it's natural state as you can. Fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean sources of protein. Avoid refined sugars and hydrogenated oils.

    2) Go through, your house. Toss out all the unhealthy food. Refuse to buy any more. Don't let your family pressure you into keeping crap in the house that will tempt you in a moment of weakness. Stand up for yourself. This is your life and it is really important.

    3) Read those food labels. The food industry manipulates the levels of fat, sugar and salt to trick us into believing the crap they are peddling is healthy. For example, if something claims to be "low fat" it probably is loaded with sugar to make it appealing.

    4 Plan your meals ahead so you don't find yourself resorting to fast food when pressed for time.

    5) Exercise consistently and intensely. Work out 5 to 6 days a week. If you're not out of breathing hard, sweaty and sore, you're not working hard enough. Learn what your target heart rate needs to be. Use a heart rate monitor to make sure you are working in that range.

    There are no easy fixes. Hard work and persistence will get you to your goal. You CAN do it!
  • petepie2
    petepie2 Posts: 6 Member
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    I started running/exercising 6 days a week and started following the principles of the South Beach diet. So, lots of lean protein, whole grains 2-3 times a day, low fat dairy, fruits, veggies, nuts..... I also watched my portions by using a smaller plate at dinner. I lost 30 pounds in 5 months (160 lb down to 130 lb...I'm 5'4") before I ever counted a calorie or joined MFP. I joined MFP several weeks ago mainly to monitor my calories to make sure I was eating enough.