Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
What has worked best for me has been following a paleo type diet. I increased fat intake, dropped carb intake, and stopped counting calories. I've been in the fitness industry fo over 10 years now, and I've had 'some' success with many different approaches. This approach has been hands down the best for me. Strength, endurance have increased more consistently, body fat has steadily dropped.
The biggest indicator of it working better than anything else has been during periods of decreased exercise. Made no adjustments to my eating habits, just stuck to eating my normal food choices in my normal approach of eating when hungry until I'm not hungry. Had a two week layoff from training and lost almost an inch in my waist. Before the paleo switch I always gained a little in my waist during times of decreased exercise.
Anyway, Ive had success with several plans, but have had the most success with the least amount of effort(counting calories and macronutrients) following a paleo style diet. Ditto for my wife who lifts hard and also teaches yoga, her results have probably been slightly better than mine. We've been at it for about a year straight now and love it.
If you're "been in the fitness industry for over 10 years now" and you're STILL needing to be on a diet to lose weight, then you're doing something wrong.
If you're "been in the fitness industry for over 10 years now" and you're STILL needing to be on a diet to lose weight, then you're doing something wrong.
Everyone is on a diet their entire life, but you already know that, you are just looking for an argument and a way to display your internet tough guy/gal persona.
Never said a word about weight anyway. You know that though, but you just saw it as the easiest way to start an argument by pretending that I did.
Eating small portions of food at each sitting works for me. I also am trying not to eat sugars and salty foods. I mostly eat home cooked foods, and I only eat fast food occasionally. I like the size that I'm at, don't want to get big.
I have tried every diet in the world. The only diet that really works for me without boring me to death or without causing me to miss certain foods are to count my calories. I have this app on my droid that allows me to log in everything I eat, the servings and it calculates my calories for me. I can simply scan the barcode of the item Im eating and it will pull up the nutritional facts.
I used to eat this was 2 years ago and lost 15 pounds over a couple of months. I also exercised so I looked real good. however, circumstances caused a long break and a 10 pound weight gain.
I tried the low carb thing. It worked initially but I just couldn't stick to that diet in the long run.
So I am back to the calorie counting and I have decided I can eat anything I want, as long as I don't eat more than 1500 per day. Now, its up to me what I want to spend those calories on. If I want to eat donuts and ice cream and other junk. I can. but it wont take long before I reach 1500 and I will be super hungry all day. Or I could eat balanced meals during the day, even treat myself at night with a glass of wine or a desert. And I will still loose weight.
I have done this one week and I have lost 1.5 pounds. I feel very energized.
In my life time I have been on most every diet imaginable. I quit smoking Nov 2010 and gained 20 lbs adding onto the extra weight I was hoping to lop off.
Low carbing works best for me, mainly cutting the bad carbs. But this time around, I'm Carb cycling and so far loosing 2 lbs a week. Not following any ones set plan, just using basic guide lines. I'm not counting calories, not eating on any schedule, I'm just not gorging on sugars and the white flours. I am a carb addict and just can't have certain foods around me or I go nuts. I probably would have lost more not for the meds being injected into me. usually in the first weeks of a low carb, I drop 7-15 lbs, but I'm happy to not be gaining considering many people gain while on the meds I have to take.
If the carb cycling stops working, I'll reset to just low carb, but for now, I'll stick this out.
I'm a former New Yarker, not completely giving up my pizza, so ever so often on my carb up days, I can have it. YAY!
An added note, what also helps me, is having a support system or someone, other than self, to be accountable to; right now for me that is a group of people I meet with to weigh in with on a weekly basis called TOPS . They're a non-profit organization and you can find such groups all over the US and Canada. My group is just sometimes two or more women weighing in at a meeting spot, usually a church or apt club house. We can't lie about our cheats if the scale number moved in the wrong direction.
Nothing fanatical, they are just there to support each other through the maze of heathy eating.
After a lifetime of trying every diet under the sun I finally know what works for me.
If I run at least 5 days a week, I can eat as I please. If I slack off on exercise or want to drop a few pounds the only thing that works for me is low carb. I cut out bread, pasta, rice, and sugar. All I eat is protein and fresh green veggies.
For me, all calories are not created equal. I tried the Baskin Robbins diet once. My favorite flavor was @ 1000 calories per pint. I ate a pint of ice cream every day and that's all. I gained weight on that diet. Taught me a huge lesson!
I have tried every diet in the world. The only diet that really works for me without boring me to death or without causing me to miss certain foods are to count my calories. I have this app on my droid that allows me to log in everything I eat, the servings and it calculates my calories for me. I can simply scan the barcode of the item Im eating and it will pull up the nutritional facts.
I used to eat this was 2 years ago and lost 15 pounds over a couple of months. I also exercised so I looked real good. however, circumstances caused a long break and a 10 pound weight gain.
I tried the low carb thing. It worked initially but I just couldn't stick to that diet in the long run.
So I am back to the calorie counting and I have decided I can eat anything I want, as long as I don't eat more than 1500 per day. Now, its up to me what I want to spend those calories on. If I want to eat donuts and ice cream and other junk. I can. but it wont take long before I reach 1500 and I will be super hungry all day. Or I could eat balanced meals during the day, even treat myself at night with a glass of wine or a desert. And I will still loose weight.
I have done this one week and I have lost 1.5 pounds. I feel very energized.
I think you are on the right track. Try and eat the most nutrient dense foods and don't forget good fats, that may have a higher calorie count, but help keep you feeling full for longer periods of time.
Its important not to deny yourself the things you truly love. I love my wine too and there was no way I was going to give it up. So I didn't. I think your approach is the sanest as long as you stay away from those donuts!
Me, I second all the wise folks who have said "lifestyle change" instead of "diet."
Why? Mentally, we think of a "diet" as deprivation and we cannot maintain this way of eating because none of us like being deprived... so eventually, we fall off our diet and return to our old comfort level of foods and bye bye diet and hello weight gain again--yo yo dieting.
We do this again and again and beat ourselves up over our failures and yet repeat the behavior...unless we educate ourselves into making a permanent lifestyle change into a new way of eating.
How to do this? Each will approach it differently, but I set out to educate myself through reading books on cooking for health, reading magazines that told me about health and wellness...and even paying a nutritionist to analyze my diet and educate me oh simple meals to make that would meet my nutritional needs, taste good, and keep my weight normal.
Then I added in a gym membership, bought a bike to ride around town, and designed an exercise program that I keep to...this meant a big dose of old-fashioned discipline and iron will...but now it's become automatic behavior.
What's all this mean? "Truly "diets" don't work. What works is a new way of relating to food, nutrition, and exercise--a dedication to wellness.
What's neat about this approach is healthy cooking is the opposite of feeling deprived--you're not hungry when you eat this way. Your body is happy it's getting all the nutrients it needs to be healthy instead of being fed empty calories.
This is the end of dieting--and the beginning of being satisfied with your food--and how you relate to it. It puts you in charge--not the food.
Looking good, feeling good, avoiding medications and being pain-free is worth it. You're worth it. What are you waiting for?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
In my life time I have been on most every diet imaginable. I quit smoking Nov 2010 and gained 20 lbs adding onto the extra weight I was hoping to lop off. 
Tops
