which diet plan to follow? or none at all?!

minnie_the_minx · January 2012

hiya! i'm new today so forgive me if this has been asked a million times already, but i've not yet found my way around the site!

i stumbled upon here by accident when reserching diet plans online, weight watchers/slimming world/lighter life/cambridge diet etc, & so i thought i'd join up

now i really have no idea about dieting, as i'm new to it all, so i wondered what everyone else has had success with, especially in the long term & keeping weight off, which can be harder than losing it, right? :frown:

i do know it's all about the lifestyle - mine changed drastically a couple of years ago, which is why i gained the weight in the first place - so i know i have to get back to a better, healthier, more active way of life, but where/how to start?!?!?!

has any of the above worked for anyone? or has anyone tried any of the above as a kick-start? or should i stay well away?

oh, i should add i have nowhere to actually cook right now, i have a kettle & a microwave, but that's all :embarassed:
& i'm a veggie, but it's not true that we all naturally eat healthy :laugh:

thank you in advance for any advice

minnie_the_minx · January 2012

anyone? :ohwell:

kimiel51 · January 2012

I've heard the weight watchers is really good, because you aren't denied any food. On this site it calculates how many calories you need and you get extra for exercise, so you can keep track pretty easily if you are good at logging!

jimmacdonald · January 2012

Hi

It is a lifestyle change, I count calories.

You learn how to meet your daily goals.

Don't go directly to 2 lbs a week lost, move to that goal once you are well under your current goal.

It took a year for my wife and I to lose 70 lbs each. She has been as low a 1200 cal a day, my lowest was about 1400.

MFP helps you learn what you need to eat to meet you daily goal.

Log, Log, Log, every meal.

Sweet Snap Peas and grape tomatos are some of my new fav foods.

I still miss oreos, but dont have them in the house.

Good luck and live strong.

Cheers
Jim

CashierCantin · January 2012

I don't follow a plan but I try to make good choices. I low carbed before counting calories so I know to eat plenty of lean meats, go easy on the dairy, lots of veggies and fruits for snacks and choose whole grain fiberous items. I supplement with baked snacks like cheetos and pretzels, special k chips and 100 calorie packs of cookies.

I have a food scale and I weigh my portions so I can see what a portion actually is and to try to get the best estimate of calories.

I log everything that goes into my mouth...even if I go over my limit.

So far so good.

Good luck and hope you succeed here. I find this website to be a very helpful tool!!!

Sublog · January 2012

hiya! i'm new today so forgive me if this has been asked a million times already, but i've not yet found my way around the site!

i stumbled upon here by accident when reserching diet plans online, weight watchers/slimming world/lighter life/cambridge diet etc, & so i thought i'd join up

now i really have no idea about dieting, as i'm new to it all, so i wondered what everyone else has had success with, especially in the long term & keeping weight off, which can be harder than losing it, right? :frown:

i do know it's all about the lifestyle - mine changed drastically a couple of years ago, which is why i gained the weight in the first place - so i know i have to get back to a better, healthier, more active way of life, but where/how to start?!?!?!

has any of the above worked for anyone? or has anyone tried any of the above as a kick-start? or should i stay well away?

oh, i should add i have nowhere to actually cook right now, i have a kettle & a microwave, but that's all :embarassed:
& i'm a veggie, but it's not true that we all naturally eat healthy :laugh:

thank you in advance for any advice

Forget "diets". Losing weight is all about a calorie deficit. Eating less than your burn on a day to day basis will result in losing weight. Consume a diet rich in whole, nutritious foods, get plenty of protein into your diet, and watch magic happen.

jarrettd · January 2012

You need to read, read, and read! Educate yourself, and you will find certain things resonate with you. And it is a process; something that you scoff at or don't feel is possible for you right now could be just your thing months down the road.

I began this last May. I had never done any type of formal exercise, and my "diets" never lasted more than a week. I started logging on MFP with the help of a food scale, and was SHOCKED at how much I actually consumed. It was easy to see where I needed to improve. I made a game or a puzzle of trying to meet my macros (calories, fats, carbs, protein) and still get adequate vitamins and minerals.

I've tried lots of new foods and recipes (found mostly here on the forums) and my food choices have slowly shifted to mostly whole, unprocessed foods. (I still eat some junk, but I make room for it in my goals). The trick is to stay with it. Log honestly through the good days and bad, so you can look back and see where you struggled, and figure out strategies around it.

Good luck to you as you find your way! (And yes, you are supposed to eat back your exercise calories! Just sayin'.)

siabevis · January 2012

I love the 80/20 diet

livinginwoods · January 2012

I follow the plan this site provides.

lauristewart · January 2012

Find foods you like that are healthy. Eat protein!!! Make sure you have a protein at every meal, but also plenty of fruits, veggies and high fiber carbs. I try to not get anything that doesn't have fiber. Some days I can get 50+ g of fiber a day. The cool thing about this site is you can try new things and at the end of the day look at your total intake of whatever you personally want to track and see how you did. I track carbs, protein, fat and fiber. Don't make it a diet, but find foods that you enjoy and that you can eat on a lifetime basis. Some people on here hate sugar subtitutes, I personally love them. You figure out what works for you long term! Good luck!

rosecook425 · January 2012

For me I have to follow a combination of a modified South Beach diet and the Dash diet (my endocrinologist and I came up with this agreement). Now me personally, I hate the word diet. But since joining MFP I have become more aware of my weaknesses and where my calories go. It has opened my eyes to how good and bad things are. But overal find out what works for you. It will be a struggle and it will not come easy. Best wishes to you in this journey towards a healthy lifestyle.

nationalparklover · January 2012

I kind of stumbled upon this site as well. I'm just logging my food each and every day...trying to stay under my calorie goal and trying to make good choices. I'm not following any plan at all. If I want to eat a cookie, or have some ice cream, if it fits in with my calorie goal, I go ahead and have it. I try to eat well MOST of the time and only have special treats every once in a while. I am not a fast loser but then again, I didn't gain this weight overnight. I've been losing at a fairly slow pace but not too slow to get frustrated and I'm really happy with it. Add in exercise whenever you can. Good luck!!

minnie_the_minx · January 2012

thanks all for the replies & well wishes

it seems that most folk on here support the 'no diet' option, which i guess i knew deep down, but of course i was secretly hoping for a quick-fix :blushing: i'm sure a lot of others did at some point or other?! please say yes :laugh:

some great info in these replies, & what is becoming clear is the 'different strokes for different folks' thing, so it's a huge learning curve for each of us right?

i'm very pleased to have found this place, looks like it's the right place for support, advice, comparing notes, being inpired & being honest, no more kidding myself eh? :laugh:

best wishes in return to everybody! :happy:

which diet plan to follow? or none at all?!

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