Do you just watch calories.. or do you also follow a food pl

I personally have to count calories - down to the calorie. It's almost more of a thing to get excited about to keep myself focused and not lose track of the big picture.
One thing I think a lot of people forget about (on here and elsewhere) is water. You must drink water!

AT THE END OF THE DAY I BELIVE IT IS ALL ABOUT CAL IN VS CAL OUT. I BURN ABOUT 1 LB A DAY SO I KNOW THIS WORKS..

Well, I've only been doing 2 months but, I can tell you what I do. I try to eat lots of fiber (I usually eat between 35-50gr a day), veggies (raw, steamed, or grilled), lean protein, nonfat dairy, fresh (I don't do canned) fruit, and drink lots of water. I think I eat really healthy about 95% of the time. I LOVE to exercise (running, Turbo Jam, and ChaLEAN). I realized that I significantly increased my exercise in the month of February and only lost ONE POUND. Why? I wasn't eating enough food. I put my body into starvation mode. Last week, I ate around 1600 calories a day and lost 1.2lbs that week.

So, to answer your question: I don't follow a plan. I eat healthy 95% of the time, and occasionally treat myself to something special. I believe in the "everything in moderation" approach. I watch my calories, but I make foods that I enjoy and can continue eating when I get to goal.

Best of luck to you!
Shan

P.S. I try to eat 3 meals, 2 snacks, and a healthy dessert each day. If find that it helps my blood sugar stay consistent.

I keep an awareness of all of the above....calories, keeping things balanced, fresh unprocessed foods, low glycemic index carbs, high fiber, high protein. That being said, this guides the choices I make overall, but I don't micromanage it or anything. I'm not a spreadsheet kinda girl And I ate a couple Hershey's kisses today. Sue me!

I read about a guy that ate total crap (candy bars, chips, etc) but kept his total calorie number low and he still lost weight so overall its all about the numbers. At rest, you burn about 12 calories per pound per day, so about 2000 to 2500 for an average adult. My number is about 2500 calories. So anything under that will be burned burned from fat. Burn 3500 of those fat calories and lose a pound. Now beyond that...there are little ways to help that go a little faster but there's no silver bullet, its all about the calories. The little things I'found are ...excersize first thing in the morning because your body is already carb starved from 8 hours with no intake and you will start burning faster. Water, Water, Water...and ICE cold...your body increases its metabolism to warm your tummy. Carbs and proteins digest differently...if you have alot of one dont eat too much of the other at the same time. I've dropped over 50 lbs in 3 months and I love to run off at the mouth so if you wanna chat, just hit me up.. :smokin: :smokin:

I follow the meal outlines from Nutrisystem. I don't eat their food (nasty!) but the way they've outlined meals works really well for me. I lost 14lbs before my wedding following their outline and working out 5-6 days/week. I can send it your way if you're interested.

can you send it my way too? i need help in the same department! tahnk you

Definitely a specific plan! High protein, low carbs (complex carbs), 2 dairy per day, lots of veggies, 1-2 fruits, only whole grains. . .you get the picture. . .

I have maintained my weight loss by counting calories no special plan.

Different things work for different people. Some people follow super strict plans, others don't do well on those. You have to figure out what works for you.

Personally, I aim for an overall well-balanced diet that's heavier on the protein and lower on the carbs than the typical American intake. I aim for 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat. That said, rarely do I hit those percentages exactly, and I don't stress over it. I'll occasionally have a higher carb day, sometimes a higher fat day, other times a higher protein day. I also work to keep my sodium under 2000 (ideally under 1500) and keep my sugars between 10 and 15% of my overall calories (this one's the hardest!). I try to eat as few processed foods as possible (I've found it to be a ton of fun learning how to make home-made versions of things!), and I eat a good amount of fresh (cooked or raw) veggies with both lunch and dinner (most of the time).

Those are my guiding principles, but I'm not perfect. I stray from that plan but I don't stress about it too much unless I completely fall off track and find myself eating junk again. The occasional fast food hamburger or high-sodium day - not the end of the world... but if I find myself hitting Burger King 2, 3, 4 days a week, then it's a problem.

Well, I've only been doing 2 months but, I can tell you what I do. I try to eat lots of fiber (I usually eat between 35-50gr a day), veggies (raw, steamed, or grilled), lean protein, nonfat dairy, fresh (I don't do canned) fruit, and drink lots of water. I think I eat really healthy about 95% of the time. I LOVE to exercise (running, Turbo Jam, and ChaLEAN). I realized that I significantly increased my exercise in the month of February and only lost ONE POUND. Why? I wasn't eating enough food. I put my body into starvation mode. Last week, I ate around 1600 calories a day and lost 1.2lbs that week.

So, to answer your question: I don't follow a plan. I eat healthy 95% of the time, and occasionally treat myself to something special. I believe in the "everything in moderation" approach. I watch my calories, but I make foods that I enjoy and can continue eating when I get to goal.

Best of luck to you!
Shan

P.S. I try to eat 3 meals, 2 snacks, and a healthy dessert each day. If find that it helps my blood sugar stay consistent.

This is me. Except I probably only get to about 80-90% healthy. :laugh:

I'm TRYING to eat in the 40-30-30 zone. So far, I've failed. I end up always low on protein and high on carbs. So I've tracked my basic macros and when I see I'm hitting within my numbers I'm slowly moving my percentage to this ratio. Again, so far I've failed.