Commercial Diets - Which ones have you had success with?

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  • SpotLighttt
    SpotLighttt Posts: 174 Member
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    BrunetteRunner87 wrote: »
    So now lots of people have told OP that she cannot expect to lose weight in 2 days. OK, that has been beaten to death. She is still asking what commercial diets people have used and whether they have been successful.

    ..and she has said she would rather be told what to eat than figure it out within a calorie limit but whats the direct response she got? "EAT AT A DEFICIT AND WORK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF"


    jeez.
  • LowCarb4Me2016
    LowCarb4Me2016 Posts: 575 Member
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    Ok, then, I've been successful in Atkins and Weight Watchers but sticking closer to the Atkins way is more sustainable for me.
  • Lillymoo01
    Lillymoo01 Posts: 2,865 Member
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    Simple rule of thumb.....

    If you can not maintain the diet you are on once the weight has come off then don't even bother starting. You will jyst regain that weight and then some because you have not learned to rid yourself of your bad eating habits by replacing them with better ones (be it portion sizing and/or food choices).

    If you have no intention of drinking all of your calories for the rest of your life then quit what you are doing and concentrate soley on eating at a deficit. Once you have mastered that make small steps to improve your macros and micros. Many dietitians recommend the 80/20 rules which is 80% nutritious largely unprocessed foods and 20% treats as being the most sustainable.
  • crazyycatlady1
    crazyycatlady1 Posts: 292 Member
    edited April 2017
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    breathless575 wrote: »
    crazyycatlady1 wrote: »
    I have lots of family and friends who've tried everything from WW and 21 Fix, to Medifast, Nutrisystem etc. They were all successful with losing weight, but every single one of them gained all the weight back shortly thereafter. I'm the only one who's been able to maintain long term and I'm the only one who went the (free) route of counting calories. It's not trendy or glamorous, but it gets the job done :)

    Thanks for responding. How many calories do you allow yourself each day and what do you eat to make up those calories?

    I'm 4 years into maintenance and my calorie range is around 1,800 a day (I'm 38 yrs old/5ft, 6in). I can't remember the specifics of my calorie intake back in my weight loss phase, (5 ish years ago), sorry!

    What I ate back then was pretty much what I was eating before I started losing weight though-I continued to eat fast food 3-4 times a week, continued to eat frozen entrees, (I switched from higher calorie ones to Lean Cuisines, Healthy Choice etc), soups (again-switched from high calorie options to low calorie ones, loved Progresso Light ones!), still ate chips, crackers, cookies etc. I kept eating what I liked, just started eating it all in the correct calorie amounts for my weight loss goals :) Lost around 50lbs and improved all my health markers, including normalizing a high/prediabetic glucose number (yay!).

    In the years that have followed I've expanded my food horizons and now eat a more whole foods, plant based diet but that has nothing to do with my weight management plan. I control my weight by my calorie intake!
  • MichelleWithMoxie
    MichelleWithMoxie Posts: 1,818 Member
    edited April 2017
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    Noel_57 wrote: »
    I ate based on every fast food commercial, but never lost a pound. :/

    Your pupper is adorable!!

    And yeah, CICO FTW.
  • YalithKBK
    YalithKBK Posts: 317 Member
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    CICO
  • susanp57
    susanp57 Posts: 409 Member
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    Why don't you take a look at some of the people's food diaries?

    I would also echo that learning how to eat rather than a very specific plan would be more beneficial in the long run. There are plans that I guess would be considered commercial that you could look to. South Beach, Atkins, Paleo, WW, etc. I think the main problem with some of these plans is that they have turned into a brand rather than a way of eating. So if you want to look at one of these, go back to the original rather than the current commercialized version.
  • hlblakeley
    hlblakeley Posts: 55 Member
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    So I have tried WW, and Atkins. WW worked, but I get the same thing here for free. What worked with WW for me was the accountability. Having to keep track of and log everything I eat. I am eating pretty much the same thing I always have (which is why Atkins didn't work for me. Too restrictive to stay on long term.) The key is to be honest about my logging and aware of what's going in my mouth. So eating chicken, beef, pork, salads, even pizza and ice cream are all "on my diet." I've lost 75 lbs so far and am still going.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,906 Member
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    I lost weight on WW. I found the accountability of weighing in in front of people helpful. This was a WW @ Work and a good group. I liked the mindfulness it brought to my eating - who knew all that wine had that many calories!

    I now prefer MFP, but @breathless575 since sounds like you want something more structured do try in person WW meetings.
  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
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    In my experience commercial diets don't work. There is no magic fix. The time it took to gain the weight should be an indicator that it will take time to lose it. Personally I have tried almost all of them including a lapband (which had to be removed due to complications). None of it worked until I started eating right and exercising. I have to eat low calories because I am 60 years old and only 5'5" but I have lost 78 pounds on MFP. I know I can live with my current eating plan for life. Quick fixes never last even if they seem to work initially.
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,575 Member
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    breathless575 wrote: »
    Has anyone had success with any commercial diets? I'm on day 2 of the Almased diet, but I'm not really losing weight yet. I know I need to be patient though! I'm just wondering what are some of the better diet plans out there.

    Day 2??? :o
  • kikicooks
    kikicooks Posts: 1,079 Member
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    breathless575 wrote: »
    I'm not looking to give up. I'm still in it, but feeling discouraged because I haven't lost any weight yet, so I was wondering if there was something better out there.

    It's only been 2 days. jeez
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,575 Member
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    breathless575 wrote: »
    I'm not looking to give up. I'm still in it, but feeling discouraged because I haven't lost any weight yet, so I was wondering if there was something better out there.

    If you are feeling discouraged after 2 days, you have a long hard miserable road ahead.

    PATIENCE!!
  • qpmomma1
    qpmomma1 Posts: 221 Member
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    Nothing long term. I stick with it for the few months it requires then I gain it back and then some when I go off the diet.
  • Tophers_Motivation
    Tophers_Motivation Posts: 39 Member
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    Nutrisystem. LOVED that program. The only complaint is that it's expensive and you have to buy an entire month's groceries up front. Who does that?! That being said, there's no real secret to it. If you plug your food into my fitness pal, stay under the goals set for you, and get some exercise, it's the same thing. It's all about calories in and calories out.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    OP, you might find this helpful: https://www.eatthismuch.com/. It gives you a diet plan, including meals, based on how much you want to eat and your diet preferences (keto, paleo, Mediterranean, whatever). I think it will make more suggestions than that, although I'm not sure what of the additional features are free and what are not, as I can't stand being told to eat specific meals (I do much better cooking with what I have--it feels way easier).
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    The only commercial diet I would ever personally endorse is South Beach, namely because it whole foods focused and not some gimmicky drink this shake or juice for 10 days or whatever. It's also the only diet that I'm aware of that has a maintenance plan...phase III is supposed to be your maintenance and more or less the way you're supposed to eat forever.

    I've never really done it (wife has), but my overall diet is pretty similar to what phase III looks like.

    I'm not really big on diet plans that have you juicing or drinking shakes or eliminating whole macro nutrients, etc...these things teach you nothing about how to maintain a healthy weight long term...they only serve the weight loss phase.
  • crazyycatlady1
    crazyycatlady1 Posts: 292 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    OP, you might find this helpful: https://www.eatthismuch.com/. It gives you a diet plan, including meals, based on how much you want to eat and your diet preferences (keto, paleo, Mediterranean, whatever). I think it will make more suggestions than that, although I'm not sure what of the additional features are free and what are not, as I can't stand being told to eat specific meals (I do much better cooking with what I have--it feels way easier).

    That's a really cool site!
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
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    susanp57 wrote: »
    I think what the OP is looking for is someone to tell her what to eat. I get that.

    I can understand that too, but this is the wrong site for that. We don't 'do' pre-set diets as such. We're more of a 'here are the guidelines, do whatever floats your boat so long as you stick to them' bunch.

    If OP goes through the initial set-up, picks an appropriate weight loss goal and lets people know what it is, we'll be willing to help her figure out how to select her own diet.

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