My experience: CICO vs. P90x vs. Whole30 vs. Keto vs. OMAD
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CICO + American Diet: I'm Canadian not American so i'll call this the CICO + ME Diet: I tried this one first. it worked. it worked great. so...yay me! lost all the weight this way, no major snags.
p90x diet: no clue what this is
Whole30: I mean I try to eat whole foods/healthy, lots of stuff I make at home. but no I don't do this.
Mediterranian: so many foods I don't like in this one
Keto: OMG no. I eat low fat, in fact I've recently been working to ensure I eat a MINIMUM healthy amount of fat. I eat volumetrics. so this sounds like a nightmare. I also have zero interest in diets that demonize food groups.
OMAD/Intermittent fasting: this is my idea of hell. I eat like every 3hrs.RelCanonical wrote: »In all seriousness, I eat candy everyday and find that doing that has significantly reduced my cravings. I have like 100 calories or so a day in like, chocolate minis, or starburst or something. Doesn't crowd out necessary protein, but makes me feel satisfied. I think it's a good example of the theme of this thread - there's not one perfect diet, things are never going to work for everyone. I can moderate like crazy, but not everyone can, so I can see the above diets working well for others, but def not for me.
Hahah I eat all the chocolate. I have cocoa nibs in my oatmeal, a home made chocolate protein bar with lunch and some kind of chocolate dessert after dinner. I try to make the chocolate work for me in both taste, calories and extras (protein rich "healthy" options are great, like the home made protein bars).13 -
CICO + American Diet: I'm Canadian not American so i'll call this the CICO + ME Diet: I tried this one first. it worked. it worked great. so...yay me! lost all the weight this way, no major snags.
p90x diet: no clue what this is
Whole30: I mean I try to eat whole foods/healthy, lots of stuff I make at home. but no I don't do this.
Mediterranian: so many foods I don't like in this one
Keto: OMG no. I eat low fat, in fact I've recently been working to ensure I eat a MINIMUM healthy amount of fat. I eat volumetrics. so this sounds like a nightmare. I also have zero interest in diets that demonize food groups.
OMAD/Intermittent fasting: this is my idea of hell. I eat like every 3hrs.RelCanonical wrote: »In all seriousness, I eat candy everyday and find that doing that has significantly reduced my cravings. I have like 100 calories or so a day in like, chocolate minis, or starburst or something. Doesn't crowd out necessary protein, but makes me feel satisfied. I think it's a good example of the theme of this thread - there's not one perfect diet, things are never going to work for everyone. I can moderate like crazy, but not everyone can, so I can see the above diets working well for others, but def not for me.
Hahah I eat all the chocolate. I have cocoa nibs in my oatmeal, a home made chocolate protein bar with lunch and some kind of chocolate dessert after dinner. I try to make the chocolate work for me in both taste, calories and extras (protein rich "healthy" options are great, like the home made protein bars).
Oh man, I love a good protein bar, I usually only reach for them if they're on sale, though. More of a cost thing. The candy I get is free at work, otherwise I would probably choose something with a little more fiber. Those 90 calorie fiber one bars are to die for. I have learned my lesson about eating too many in a day, though!7 -
I'm glad the OP found what worked for them. I love produce too much to ever do keto.
I love eating in moderation. Counting calories keeps me accountable and allows for eating out and special events/treats. I cant eat intuitively. I love the Meditteranean diet principles.11 -
RelCanonical wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »RelCanonical wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »What worked for me:
CICO + American Diet: This is where it's at for me! I'm gonna make ice cream and chocolate fit in my day, dammit, because otherwise I freak out and binge.
p90x diet: Never tried it.
Whole30: No, thank you. See CICO.
Mediterranian: I don't like fish.
Keto: Oh, hell no. After 3 days (it's was actually Atkins, back in the 90's) hubby threw a cookie at me and told me to eat it because I was so bitchy.
OMAD/Intermittent fasting: I slightly IF, as I push breakfast as late as possible. I like more calories in the evening.
I like this.
CICO + American Diet: I like candy.
p90x diet: I didn't know this was a diet.
Whole30: No, I like candy too much.
Mediterranian: No, I like candy too much.
Keto: No, I like candy too much.
OMAD/Intermittent fasting: I guess I do this a little on mornings I'm not hungry, but if I am, I eat. And sometimes it's candy.
I'm starting to see a common theme . . .
In all seriousness, I eat candy everyday and find that doing that has significantly reduced my cravings. I have like 100 calories or so a day in like, chocolate minis, or starburst or something. Doesn't crowd out necessary protein, but makes me feel satisfied. I think it's a good example of the theme of this thread - there's not one perfect diet, things are never going to work for everyone. I can moderate like crazy, but not everyone can, so I can see the above diets working well for others, but def not for me.
So true! I'm a natural moderator - in fact, even when I was 20 lbs heavier I never really over-ate any one particular food. A just ate a bit too much and was a lazy *kitten* every damn day. When I first came here, I thought it was ridiculous for anyone to think that moderating wasn't the best way. But I've seen enough people here do better with some kind of guidelines that I don't insist my way is best anymore (Well, I mean publicly, I still think it in my head
) 8 -
I've lost 240 pounds by counting calories. A large part of that was by following a pescatarian diet but today I am also eating meat.
I had my gall bladder removed so a high fat diet like Keto wasn't really an option for me. I also am a volume eater so I don't think I'd have been successful with it since 1 gram of fat is 9 calories compared to 1 gram of carbs/protein being 4 calories. Also, I don't find it appealing.
P.S.: CICO ≠ calorie counting24 -
RelCanonical wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »RelCanonical wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »What worked for me:
CICO + American Diet: This is where it's at for me! I'm gonna make ice cream and chocolate fit in my day, dammit, because otherwise I freak out and binge.
p90x diet: Never tried it.
Whole30: No, thank you. See CICO.
Mediterranian: I don't like fish.
Keto: Oh, hell no. After 3 days (it's was actually Atkins, back in the 90's) hubby threw a cookie at me and told me to eat it because I was so bitchy.
OMAD/Intermittent fasting: I slightly IF, as I push breakfast as late as possible. I like more calories in the evening.
I like this.
CICO + American Diet: I like candy.
p90x diet: I didn't know this was a diet.
Whole30: No, I like candy too much.
Mediterranian: No, I like candy too much.
Keto: No, I like candy too much.
OMAD/Intermittent fasting: I guess I do this a little on mornings I'm not hungry, but if I am, I eat. And sometimes it's candy.
I'm starting to see a common theme . . .
In all seriousness, I eat candy everyday and find that doing that has significantly reduced my cravings. I have like 100 calories or so a day in like, chocolate minis, or starburst or something. Doesn't crowd out necessary protein, but makes me feel satisfied. I think it's a good example of the theme of this thread - there's not one perfect diet, things are never going to work for everyone. I can moderate like crazy, but not everyone can, so I can see the above diets working well for others, but def not for me.
So true! I'm a natural moderator - in fact, even when I was 20 lbs heavier I never really over-ate any one particular food. A just ate a bit too much and was a lazy *kitten* every damn day. When I first came here, I thought it was ridiculous for anyone to think that moderating wasn't the best way. But I've seen enough people here do better with some kind of guidelines that I don't insist my way is best anymore (Well, I mean publicly, I still think it in my head )
There was an article floating around here about moderators vs. abstainers and it really opened my eyes and made me more open to other types of diets as well, lol. I'm so judge-y but I try to keep my mouth shut.7 -
I lost 50 lbs by counting calories and making an effort to increase my activity. I've been maintaining for almost 7 years now. At this point I'm able to fairly accurately eyeball what an appropriate portion is, so I no longer log or measure. I weight myself regularly so I can catch a backslide early and adjust.
I guess I also technically do 16:8 IF. It's just my natural eating pattern and I've been eating that way since before I knew it had a name.
I personally couldn't stick with a diet that restricted certain foods. I like to fit in a treat just about everyday and I think I'd be crabby if I had to eliminate them. But like everyone is pointing out, to each their own. Their is no universal WOE that's going to work for everyone- we all just have to find what works for us individually.4 -
Thanks for sharing. I'm an IF practitioner currently on a short-term OMAD assignment and am a firm believer it helps keep unbridled discipline in peak condition which is necessary for success. I have no Keto experience and know myself well enough that I couldn't do it. Anecdotal experiences are great to share with an open-minded audience and I am part of that small audience here. Thanks again and best wishes for your continued success.18
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Thanks for the comments!
No I should've prefaced better, this is what worked for me. If others can eat whatever they want within restriction and not feel terrible/hungry all the time, more power. When I was eating pastas, breads, cookies -- I consistently overate and/or was starving. I needed something different, and keto worked tremendously well. Overall, I just feel better eating low-carb (even if it's not purely keto).
I would just highly recommend it to folks here who are having trouble with IIFYM like I was.4 -
pierinifitness wrote: »Thanks for sharing. I'm an IF practitioner currently on a short-term OMAD assignment and am a firm believer it helps keep unbridled discipline in peak condition which is necessary for success. I have no Keto experience and know myself well enough that I couldn't do it. Anecdotal experiences are great to share with an open-minded audience and I am part of that small audience here. Thanks again and best wishes for your continued success.
Thanks I appreciate it! You too0 -
CICO isn't a diet...it's just the energy equation...it is at play always regardless of diet plan or WOE or whether or not you're cognoscente of it.19
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pierinifitness wrote: »Thanks for sharing. I'm an IF practitioner currently on a short-term OMAD assignment and am a firm believer it helps keep unbridled discipline in peak condition which is necessary for success. I have no Keto experience and know myself well enough that I couldn't do it. Anecdotal experiences are great to share with an open-minded audience and I am part of that small audience here. Thanks again and best wishes for your continued success.
People aren't open minded if they don't like anecdotal evidence stated as absolutes?25 -
Happy to say I've hit my target weight and I'm doing great! After realizing I was a solid 60-70+ pounds overweight, I tried a lot of different things the last few years to get back on track, with more yoyo-ing than I would like. But I've finally hit a balance the last year.
Here's what I've discovered. For real weight loss, a mixture of low-carb and intermittent fasting is the best long-term solution.
Add "FOR ME" on the end.
Fixed the whole thing for you.18 -
Pretty sweeping statements based on n=1.
Could yoiu define "magic" in relation to Keto? If there's a magic diet out there that lets people lose weight while eating surplus calories, or ways of eating that don't result in weight loss when eating in a deficit, I imagine the people who have conducted repeated controlled metobolic studies would be anxious to know where they've gone wrong.
eta: If we're going to make sweeping statements based on n=1, I've lost 50 pounds and been in maintenance for a year, and the way I eat is similar to @GottaBurnEmAll below.
Satiety, mostly. Keto worked really well for me in limiting hunger and cravings.
Definitely different diets will work for different people, but I wanted to lay out my personal experience -- and limiting carbs has just overall been transformative in multiple ways compared with the other plans I tried.
But satiety is different for different people (for me it's protein + fiber), but you've laid out your position as applicable to everyone
"Here's what I've discovered. For real weight loss, a mixture of low-carb and intermittent fasting is the best long-term solution."9 -
pierinifitness wrote: »Thanks for sharing. I'm an IF practitioner currently on a short-term OMAD assignment and am a firm believer it helps keep unbridled discipline in peak condition which is necessary for success. I have no Keto experience and know myself well enough that I couldn't do it. Anecdotal experiences are great to share with an open-minded audience and I am part of that small audience here. Thanks again and best wishes for your continued success.
People aren't open minded if they don't like anecdotal evidence stated as absolutes?
Yeah, this pushback has nothing to do with OP's success and everything to do with how he communicated it. I had a boss that talks like him (treating opinion or anecdotal experience as fact) but I couldn't call out my boss so I did it to this guy instead. It's a symptom of black-and-white thinking that some people have.19 -
pierinifitness wrote: »it helps keep unbridled discipline in peak condition which is necessary for success.
So what happens when unbridled un-peaks?!?!
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OP would've added some value to this by documenting intake and TDEE across these different WOEs for comparison sake. Absent of that, it's all biased opinion.10
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pierinifitness wrote: »it helps keep unbridled discipline in peak condition which is necessary for success.
So what happens when unbridled un-peaks?!?!
I'm not too big a fan of the idea of discipline as a word I'd cling to as an ideal behavior. I'm more fond of the ideal of habit. Though the outcome of habitual practice and discipline practice might be the same, I personally find myself feeling much more relaxed following a life patterned on the idea that I've set up habits that are part of the life I life as a wholistic structure rather than a discipline I follow that's some rigid structure.
Habit is a much more fuzzy/friendly sounding word to me.
It's not much in the scheme of things, and as I said, the outcome might be the same, and mileage may vary. Some people might thrive on the idea of structure and discipline. I never did and it's always been part of what derailed weight loss efforts in the past.5 -
pierinifitness wrote: »it helps keep unbridled discipline in peak condition which is necessary for success.
So what happens when unbridled un-peaks?!?!
SADDLED HORSE IN THE HOLE?4 -
RelCanonical wrote: »pierinifitness wrote: »Thanks for sharing. I'm an IF practitioner currently on a short-term OMAD assignment and am a firm believer it helps keep unbridled discipline in peak condition which is necessary for success. I have no Keto experience and know myself well enough that I couldn't do it. Anecdotal experiences are great to share with an open-minded audience and I am part of that small audience here. Thanks again and best wishes for your continued success.
People aren't open minded if they don't like anecdotal evidence stated as absolutes?
Yeah, this pushback has nothing to do with OP's success and everything to do with how he communicated it. I had a boss that talks like him (treating opinion or anecdotal experience as fact) but I couldn't call out my boss so I did it to this guy instead. It's a symptom of black-and-white thinking that some people have.
Yeah I can see how my email came off that way, though I thought I was prefacing enough that it was my personal experience and how diets can affect satiety etc. (the subject line says "My experience")
The post wasn't really meant for folks who are 100 percent happy with what they're already doing.
Also, again, I wasn't able to exercise much at all for months -- so needed something I could do sedentary that didn't make me miserable. Keto helped a lot!
Anyway -- if someone on the forum is struggling like I was with the other diets -- and this gives em' a push to try something different, that's a good thing, right? I had too many people tell me that "all I needed to worry about was CICO" and that turned out to be incorrect for me. What I put into my body made a huge difference across all indicators of health and fitness.
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