Help! What diet is best??

novachic30 · February 2017

I'm trying to figure out which diet to follow and which is the healthiest - paleo, vegan, vegetarian, low carb? I hear things from everyone about how their diet is the best, so I'm looking for something that's scientific. Any help is appreciated!!

kk_inprogress · February 2017

Skip all that and just count your calories. Maintain a deficit and it can't fail, because science. Makes it easy

Sumiblue · February 2017

Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »

best diet is the one you can maintain for the rest of your life.

This^^ Short term diets give short term results. Why not just eat at a reasonable deficit and enjoy life? I've tried restricting foods for weight loss. It didn't work, wasn't sustainable and I did not enjoy my daily life.

TimothyFish · February 2017

I'm partial to the see-food diet myself. As long as you stay near your calorie goal, eat whatever you see that you think looks good.

Cuddlebearjay · February 2017

Agreed with the above posters. I've tried several 'fad' diets over the past 10 years from South Beach to some god awful diet called super shred something or other. While South Beach tought me things some things about food, it made me hate a lot of foods. I hated what I was restricted to on every diet I've ever tried, which led to binges and weight gain over time.
Long story short, love what you eat, but do it in moderation by counting your calories.

malibu927 · February 2017

Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »

best diet is the one you can maintain for the rest of your life.

Yep. I don't even bother with a specific "diet". I just eat the foods I enjoy that fit into my goals.

dragon_girl26 · February 2017

Low carb, paleo, etc...are basically strategies. They work great for some people, but not everyone. I would not be happy or satiated, personally. I eat what I want, enough to maintain a reasonable calorie deficit when I'm in weight loss mode, and get plenty of exercise. I've lost 80 lbs doing exactly this.

kshama2001 · February 2017

I lived in vegetarian communities for three years and saw:

- Happy and fit vegetarians
- Happy and fit vegans
- Happy and fit omnivores

I eat the foods I like that fill me up and allow me to stay in a calorie deficit. I've found it behooves me to shoot for slightly higher protein and slightly lower carbs than the MFP default macros: 50% from carbohydrates, 20% from protein and 30% from fat..

TeaBea · February 2017

Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »

best diet is the one you can maintain for the rest of your life.

This^

The best diet addresses YOUR current eating habits. The best diet helps you figure out why you are currently trying to lose weight. The best diet helps you develop strategies for maintenance.

mamadon · February 2017

Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »

best diet is the one you can maintain for the rest of your life.

Another vote for this. You need to eat less calories then you burn and you need to do it in a way that you can do for the long run.

crzycatlady1 · February 2017

Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »

best diet is the one you can maintain for the rest of your life.

This.

For me that means continuing to eat all the foods I like, just in correct calorie amounts. It's a realistic and sustainable method for me, for the next 45+ years, and I've nailed my weight and health goals by doing it

novachic30 · February 2017

Thank you all so much!!! This is what I needed. I think I was feeling like I wasn't doing something right if I wasn't sticking to a specific diet. I have about 80 lbs to lose to get to my goal, but everytime I'd start, I felt like I wasn't going to be successful because I wasn't eating a certain way. Going to start tracking everything I'm MFP and kick it into high gear. I'm trying to get as close to my goal, healthily, by our vacation in August.

Evamutt · February 2017

I eat what I like & 36lbs down so far. I don't even look at the macros, just figure out what works for me by experimenting

Desertcolt07 · February 2017

The one you can stick to

ccsernica · February 2017

novachic30 wrote: »

Thank you all so much!!! This is what I needed. I think I was feeling like I wasn't doing something right if I wasn't sticking to a specific diet. I have about 80 lbs to lose to get to my goal, but everytime I'd start, I felt like I wasn't going to be successful because I wasn't eating a certain way. Going to start tracking everything I'm MFP and kick it into high gear. I'm trying to get as close to my goal, healthily, by our vacation in August.

There are a lot of people who make a lot of money selling books, programs, and supplements to folks desperate to lose weight. The one thing they all have in common is that they make it much harder than it has to be. And much more expensive.

My sister-in-law has been repeatedly unsuccessful in keeping weight off. The fact that I've been doing very well merely by cutting calories has made no impression. She feels like she has to go low-carb, or whatever she'll be doing next week. It never lasts, partly because she cuts out so many things she enjoys that she goes a little nuts once she hits a goal weight, and eats it all back very quickly. Much better to just eat what you like, only less of it. That's a habit you're more likely to be able to keep once you establish it.

In fact, once you hit your goal weight and move to maintenance calories, you might suddenly feel like you're eating too much!

JaydedMiss · February 2017

my nutritionist told me to eat low carb for my PCOS or i wouldnt lose weight. if i listened id of quit long ago low carb makes me miserable i need carbs. Tons of carbs. ALL THE CARBS. Most of what i eat now is bread/potatoes. And iv lost 80 pounds in 9 months just fine.

weight loss is commiting to your calories. Thats it.

courtneyfabulous · February 2017

I like mostly clean eating mixed with IIFYM (tracking macros) and counting calories. But I make room for chocolate and some other treats in there too.

Machka9 · February 2017

Just CI<CO.

Orphia · February 2017

novachic30 wrote: »

Thank you all so much!!! This is what I needed. I think I was feeling like I wasn't doing something right if I wasn't sticking to a specific diet. I have about 80 lbs to lose to get to my goal, but everytime I'd start, I felt like I wasn't going to be successful because I wasn't eating a certain way. Going to start tracking everything I'm MFP and kick it into high gear. I'm trying to get as close to my goal, healthily, by our vacation in August.

Awesome, @novachic30 !

I lost 80 lbs in 12 months by eating whatever I most loved within my calorie limit.

If your goal is a mid-low BMI, you might find that 80 lbs by August is too drastic. The last 10-15 lbs should take much longer than the first.

As you progress, you need to alter your weekly weight loss goal. This is the general guide:

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal

Hope this helps. Again, it's really awesome you learned a lot from asking your question. I must thank you for showing me yet again how great this community is. Thanks.

Afura · February 2017

Look_Its_Kriss wrote: »

best diet is the one you can maintain for the rest of your life.

Well look, best answer got stolen.

And it's true too. I've dabbled with trying low carb/paleo, and unprocessed diets and I just find for my lazy self they're just not manageable, so I eat what I want and weigh, and log!

Help! What diet is best??

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