I was just wondering what kind of diet everyone is on. I know that different things work better for different people. I was on the South Beach Diet, but I just need something that is more convenient because I go to school full time and work full time... so I don't have all that much extra time... AND because I'm a college student I'm poor.... and South Beach can be kind of expensive. So, I was just trying to get some ideas.... THANKS

I am not on a diet as such, mine is a healthy eating plan for life. It is low fat, low sugar, high in complex carbohydrates. Nothing is banned but I stay clear of fast food like pizza, fish and chips, macdonalds etc. Since January 4th I have lost 16 lbs, so I must be doing something right.

A typical day for me is

A bowl of oatmeal with berries and skim milk

A protein like smoked salmon, tuna, lean chicken, occasionally ham, with raw vegetables (cucumber, carrot, celery, tomatoes)
Some strawberries and a small orange - the fruit and veg change daily

For a snack in the afternoon I have a bag of crackers my favourites are Quaker Seasons (corn and potato baked snacks) just over 100 calories a bag

For dinner I have something different every day, like grilled fish or chicken, or tray baked fish, sometimes I have a completely vegetarian meal - I love tofu.
And a big bowl of fruit for dessert.

I eat what's in season and keep processed foods to a bare minimum.

I'm on WW. I ordered a home kit off of ebay and I'm not going to meetings. I've only been on it a week, but so far so good. I think this might work for me because there is an emphasis on portion control (something I really stuggle with). I have to keep a log and track points (based on calories, fat, and fiber). I don't know if that would fit into your schedule.

There is a little bit of everything:

I replace 2 meals a day with MRP shakes (Boost types). Between meals, i eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. I eat one solid meal a day. Of course everything considered fast food is excluded (KFC, MC Do, Pizza etc...)

I also train 3 times a week at the pool and Cross-country skiing / Hiking on week-ends. I tend to eat a little more when doing these heavy cardio activities.

Over the past year and 1/2, I have lost over 150 pounds. The first 50 pounds I lost on Jenny Criag(1700 calorie plan) and going to Curves, the last 100 pounds I was on 1200 calories a day (my choice), and I was seeing a personal trainer. My 1200 Calorie a day diet consisted of eating 200 calories every two hours, eating 100 or more extra for lunch and dinner. Example: 8:00 am Balance bar/ 10:00 balance bar/ Noon weight watcher frozen meal/ 2:00 apple/ 5:00 260 calories of chicken with a salad..Always took my vitamins, and calcuim. Exercise 6 days a week (3 days 1/2 hour cardio: 3 days weight training).

That is what I did.

Jackal

Like Jackal, I'm a Jenny Craiger. I've stuck with them the whole way. I started on 2000 calories when I was well over 300 lbs.; I'm now 177ish and am still losing on 1500 calories. It's taken me longer but I've been happy with my progress for the most part.

The thing I like about JC is that if you do it right, it's not a rigid way of eating for life. It falls more into the "healthy overall balanced eating" philosophy, you just have a period with training wheels to start with. I've learned how to eat just about any type of food and stay within my plan, but I try to make wise healthy choices 90% of the time -- whole grains, good fats, etc. I also exercise semi-regularly (haven't gotten consistent with that yet!) and that includes cardio and weight training. I also would not miss my weekly yoga class for anything in the world.

I try to stay between 1200-1600 calories a day and follow the food pyramid. Some days I will shake it up and eat around 1800-2000 calories but I cut back the rest of the week so I still average 1600 calories a day. The biggest thing for me has been portion control. I measure out all my food. Some of my staples I don't measure all the time but will check myself every couple of weeks by pouring and then measuring just to make sure I'm not going back to larger portions. I try to fill up on veggies since most are low-cal. I've all but eliminated corn from my diet--it used to be a staple. I would have it 3-5 meals a week and now I have it maybe once every other week. It just seems such a waste at 80 calories for 1/2 cup when I could 3x that in green beans or broccoli.

I've also upped my exercise to try and get at least 30 min. a day at least 5 days a week and strength training 3x a week.

DeeVine - I also work and go to school full-time. I hate to be the one to break the news to you but no diet is going to be convenient unless you plan ahead. I've been on BFL, South Beach and WW. None of them work unless you can put forth the extra effort to prep your meals.

I'm not sure what you meant by South Beach was expensive. I find the prepared meals way out of my budget but buying veggies and meats and prepping them myself is a lot cheaper. I know that going to the farmer's market can be a lifesaver since it's cheap and offers variety. I don't know what part of nebraska you live in but Omaha has a great farmer's market in the summer.

To save time and calories, these are some of my tricks:
* Sunday, I grill enough chicken breasts for the entire week. Portion them out in baggies and keep them in the fridge. I love cold chicken.
* I make a crock pot meal once a week. Prep the night before, turn it on before I leave the house. I have dinner for that night and portion out everything else and stick it in the freezer (do this enough times and you'll have quite a variety to choose from when you come home from a late class).
* Make sure when I leave for class I have a bottle of water and at least an apple. If I'm starving, I eat the apple before I decide what to do about it.
* On long days, I keep a small cooler in my car for lunch and dinner.
* Never take money on campus. This is my trick because if I have the cash, I'll buy something bad for me. If I don't, I'll eat my packed lunch.

Great suggestions, Jessica! DeeVine, what's working for me is I assessed my eating with honesty to figure out why I was fat, then began changing the offenders one at a time. For me, I was eating sweets several times a day--a brownie or donut when I got to work, a candy bar in the afternoon, a pint of Ben & Jerry's at night (you get the idea!), so I eliminated sweets altogether and eliminated snacking for awhile. I now sometimes have a snack, but choose a healthy snack. I'm finding I have to reassess regularly, because when one bad eating habit is eliminated, another one tries to sneak its way in. Right now I'm beginning a battle with white flour products.

I think the important thing is to find a way of eating that 1) is healthy, and 2) you can maintain for the rest of your life. It will be different for everyone.

I count calories...keep in a 1200-1800 range depending on workouts. I do not eliminate anything, but try and make deliberate choices to get the biggest bang for my buck per calorie. I seldom eat sweets. I am of the belief that we all have that internal radar and know when we should or shouldn't eat something. I decided to listen to it. I workout aerobically 5x a week, with daily core and 3 weekly weight sessions.

I am on South Beach. Have had great success losing weight but find that keeping variety in my meals is hard.

I try and keep my calories between 1200-1600, with a treat day of around 1800-2000 calories! I aim for 2L or more of water per day... basically, my motto is the more water the better! As for food, I try and make sure my calories are coming from healthy things and I keep my fat % around 30%.

As for the working out, I am for 3-5 times per week... again, my motto is the more exercise you can incorporate the better! So, if its a day where I can't work out.. I'll try and get a little more movement - like taking the stairs instead of elevator, etc.

I count calories also. 1800 a day with one day a week at 2400. I also follow the american heart association. 5 fruits or veggies, 2 fish servings a week, 6 grains a day and 3 dairy. I've lost 173 doing this. 100 of that just this past year. I have just recently added exercise this past month. I swim 5 times a week for 1 1/2 hours.

I am doing Oprah's bootcamp right now (see her website) eating lean protein, fruits and veggies. Ocassionally I will have whole grained cereal ie oatmeal but I am making a huge effort to stay away from refined carbs like cookies, bread, crackers etc. I work out at the gym, right now I am trying to go 5 days a week.

I am doing Weight Watchers at home (I have materials left from joining before), using you guys, a friend I meet with each week to encourage each other about weight loss, and my family as support. I use the points system and it is working well. It took me awhile to figure out what to do, and I am more flexible now than I used to be. I may change in the future sometime, but for now, WW is it. You have a lot of choices on WW---you can eat pretty much anything as long as you stay in the points. It is basically a way to keep track of calories, I think. It might be something to try that would fit in with your life right now. I think you can buy materials on Ebay. (And on the official WW site, of course. )