Is it really all about calories in/calories out?

I'm so confused as to what plan to follow.....WeightWatchers, Atkins,Bodytrim, calories?!!!

They all work the same, you lose weight due to a caloric deficit. find a diet that you can adhere to, since that's the most important part and just stay consistent with it

He said it right

You can achieve weight loss with nothing more than calorie restriction. Why not just focus on the basics while your traveling. .35g fat and .8 - 1g protein per lb of body weight. Depending on how you feel, shoot for a 20% deficit? If you still feel really hungry all the time, try decreasing it to something you can sustain. After that's set, persistence will grant success.

count calories and choose where to get your protein and carbs from, choose the healthiest options rather than limiting macronutrients.

It's not only about calorie deficit...search 'Zoe Harcombe' and you will find out a lot about calories in/calories out and how to eat well and lose weight.

Can you imagine what would happen if you went to a Harley Davidson forum and started a topic asking whether you should buy Honda, Kawasaki, or Yamaha?

It's funny because it's true. :laugh:

Other factors affect weight loss too - sodium, amount of muscle you got/lose, level of exercise...

The first thing I tried in dieting world was South Beach, and I actually did loose a fair amount of weight on it. But I also realized after a couple of months that it would not work for me as my long term diet. I didn't like how little variety there was, I didn't like the artificial sugars, and I hated not eating very much fruit!

I think a lot of these diets can be helpful, but they are not really long term, for everyone, or all that flexible. When I started eating whole foods, like greens, raw fruits and vegetables, some nuts and seeds, whole grains, minimal processed sugars or white processed foods, and counting calories, I realized that's what would work for me in the long term. This way I am able to have flexibility, too. If I eat something generally out of my diet one day, I can keep under my calorie limit and know the world is not over. When I'm traveling places and don't always have control over all my own groceries and meals, it works much better for me, too.

I think the key is really finding what works for you. Counting calories, exercising (even going on walks!), and eating whole, unprocessed foods is what I decided would work for me. This will be your process to figure out, I think it's different for everyone!

If you want to look at alternative views also google William Davis, Robert Young, Acid/alkaline balance.

Remember man is the only animal smart enough to make his own food and stupid enough to eat it. The weight loss industry is a big business, similar to the "health" industry. Believe me the drug companies don't want to cure anything, they want to sell you drugs to control things. The same thing (unfortunately) for the cancer societies, diabetes, kidney and other associations. They are in the fund raising business not the research and cure business.

Hippocrates said it best: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” . We need to do that more today.

Can you imagine what would happen if you went to a Harley Davidson forum and started a topic asking whether you should buy Honda, Kawasaki, or Yamaha?

yeh, that's what I was thinking.. well not exactly but along those lines.

op,
just start entering food in the diary and whala, you will see what needs to be changed in your diet. Give it a go, it's free unlike most of the others. The beauty of this site is you can design a diet for yourself around what you like to eat, no points,no bells and whistles and hidden costs, no smoking mirrors.
The support is fantastic., much better than I ever had at any of those other places I paid a lot of cash for a diet I didn't particularly like.
Good luck, enjoy your trip.

Make changes you can stick with long term...
Start eating more veggies.
Then cut back on condiments.
Start walking.
Then have smaller portions.
Then switch to whole grains.
Do some weight-bearing exercises.
Then eat better snacks.
Cut out deep fried foods.
...You get the point, just keep making small changes that you can stick with.

Following a plan never worked for me cuz I don't like anyone telling me what I can't do. I need to feel like I'm in control and have options. I also don't respond well to drastic overnight change, so I incorporated 'baby steps' gradually and it was much easier to adapt to. I also started out eating 'maintenance' level calories for a week, then slowly lowered my calories to give my body (and brain) time to adjust. It's been working... I've lost over 35 pounds since the start of the year!

Good Luck!

Thanks for all of your helpful comments. I'm going to give mfp a good try and not think about the others

Way to go..
I am also doing The Biggest Loser and they are all basically the same..
Calories in must be lower than calories out if you want to lose weight..
Portion control is another key factor. My wife and I are using the points system from weight watchers combined with the calorie count from Biggest Loser..

There are plenty of exercises that you can do on your travels.
If you have access to the internet, just look up outdoor exercises or home exercises..
I have made my own home made gym following a series from Biggest Loser on TV by using bricks, rocks and water containers..

Good luck on your trip..

Andy