[JulieJ08]

Yup.

I think everyone has their own happy level of fats, just like they have their own happy level of carbs; protein too.

The trick, I think, is to realize that what works for you may or may not be what everyone else is touting.

[beerab]

I used to calorie count but stalled pretty badly- turns out with my medical condition the doctor said I should limit carbs to some extent (obviously whole grains and fruits are okay) and when I did that the weight has steadily gone down.

[Altari]

I used to do Atkins, but it's far too restrictive and the weight doesn't come off continuously. I'd drop five or six pounds, stall for three or four weeks, drop some more...lather, rinse, repeat.

Now, I'm doing low-carb, high-protein, moderate/high-fat. If I can't buy the ingredients listed to make the food myself, I don't buy it (anything with "dyglicerides" is straight out :P). No refined flour, sugar, HFCS, partially-hydrogenated oils, etc. Weight comes off much slower, but consistently.

[Cali Doll]

I need structure and accountablity. I needed someone/something to tell me what to do and what to eat because I truly had no clue. I joined Weight Watchers Online.

Prior to joining, I had practically no limits on what or how much I would eat. I had no accountability. I'd just eat to the point of not being able to eat anymore. I'd eat garbage and high calorie foods all day long with no regard to what it was doing to my body.

So this is why WW worked for me. WW tells me how many points (calories) I should be consuming. It taught me to pick and choose my foods carefully because, while I can basically eat what I want, I am limited to a certain amount of points per week. I am certainly not perfect with getting all of my healthy guidelines in; however, I'm a much, much healthier eater than I was before. It actually surprises me sometimes when I get full from a half a salad or when I can't finish a bowl of cereal. :P I've also learned to listen to my body when it tells me it's satisfied. Satisfied does not equal full.

I'm about 7 pounds from goal and I started in April of this year. Yeah, I highly recommend WW Online for folks who needed to be educated like I did. It's very true, though, that you need to find a plan that works for you.