what HAS NOT worked for you

[Camarogirl67]

Anything (except for "Making The Cut") that promised results too soon. Anything but counting calories and exercising.

[choirgirlhotel]

1) Hydroxycut
2) The Zone
3) South Beach
4) The low to no carb diet

~choirgirl~

[luvja]

Slim fast!

What didn't work for me...this list is going to get loooong

- calorie counting
- apple cider vinegar
- iodase patches
- gift diet
- elimination diet
- dissociate diet
- food intolerances diet
- kousmine diet
- linfo massages
- electrostimulator
- various creams and pills...
- vegetarian diet
- ww diet

[Sockerton]

Medifast and Atkins are the recent 2 that come to mind. Medifast tasted like crap and Atkins was too restrictive.

[EMW10173]

Okay, I've been on many supplements and some would work for awhile but as soon as I went off I gained the weight back. When my husband and I were on South Beach I loved it I ate all the food he cooked and still lost weight, it did work but again it is a LOT of work and I'm not willing to make the time for the recipes and my husband went and got the lapband and lost over a hundred pounds.

I don't want to have surgery to lose weight I just want to eat better I think my biggest problem is making the time to eat better, if I had a chef to cook for me I would be skinny.. LOL.

Simply they need to make good food more easily accessible, If they had a South Beach or Weight Watchers fast food place or something along this line most of us probably wouldn't have a weight problem. Just my 2 cents

[nelie]

EMW - I personally don't think it takes a lot of time to eat better. I don't eat fast food (unless you count Chipotle) but there are some decent options out there.

I cook a couple hours per week, if that. I make batches of food and eat leftovers. I microwave frozen veggies. It honestly doesn't take a lot of time to eat better, but if you aren't used to it, it might be something you have to learn to do.

Also, I know people are busy but is it worth it to your health to figure out how to make easy, quick healthy meals?

[EMW10173]

I was just saying I would like better food to be available like fast food is so I would not have to prepare it on my own, that's what I think would help all of us.

[MBN]

What DIDN'T work for me:
- Doctor's Quick Weight loss program, lost weight all right but gained it right back
- Slim fast
- Dexatrim
- any "diet" that was too low calorie or banned any particular food group
- failure to exercise along with the diet
- failure to see the "diet" as a long term lifestyle change

What has worked: Calorie counting with moderate healthy eating that doesn't outlaw any particular food - I just need to stay within my calorie "budget". That, and daily exercise.

I buy bagged salads, nuke fresh or frozen veggies and cook lean proteins in bulk on the weekend to re-heat and make into various meal combinations during the week. I pack my lunch every day. If you plan for it, it doesn't take any more time to make the healthy food than the crap. I can have something ready in less time than take-out. You DO have to plan, though.

[flaglady]

WW
WW
WW
WW
Weight Loss Clinic
WW
WW
Phentermine
WW
WW
LA Weight Loss
WW
WW
WW
WW
South Beach
WW
WW
WW
WW

Ok, I have finally figured out that WW does not work for me! I am so slow! I had some success with SB but eventually put the weight back on. I have not been able to lose more than 10 lbs for 13 years (I need to lose at least 50--I am 5'3 & weigh 188) I think the flexibility gave me too much freedom/permission to eat what I want. I am now following Biggest Loser 30 Day Jump Start. I am eating the foods they suggest (and finding some new and interesting foods I enjoy) and following the exercise program too. I like it because it is very easy & manageable and builds more time for cardio and more difficult weight training.

[grneyedmustang]

*Dexatrim
*Slim Fast
*100 calorie packs of junk food (sugar/refined carbs don't agree with me)
*Sugar free chocolates (if I'm having a bad day, they trigger cravings)
*Fat Smash Diet (I didn't want to see another bean or grain of brown rice by day three)

*Apple Cider Vinegar (I didn't know I was supposed to drink it with water! I had serious cramping and other effects while I was drinking it STRAIGHT)

* Metabolife (I lost weight, but as soon as I stopped taking it I gained it all back! Plus, I would be weak and woozy because I didn't have an appetite and would not eat all day).

I am currently doing South Beach, and it's working - plus I feel like I can stick with this way of eating for life, because I love to cook, love to eat, and found foods that I can eat that taste good and still stay on plan.

I was successful with weight watchers in the past, but I felt like the flexibility that weight watchers allows was going to get me in trouble this go round.

[timkerbelle]

Atkins didn't work at all for me. I hated the food and didn't lose at all. Awful diet.
Any diet that is too restrictive, like cabbage soup or fasting. I can keep it up for a couple of days, but end up bingeing!

[negrita75]

This is a great thread. what didn't work for me:

VLC diets - did lose the weight but it slowed my metabolism and I gained the weight back.

Atkins - did lose the weight but too restrictive and as soon as I started back eating carbs I gained the weight back.

Hydrocut - I've never taken drugs but this had me so wired and my heart beating so fast I stopped. I did lose a few pounds but the side effects were too much for me..

What is working for me is calorie counting and exercising. I write everything down and it's non restrictive and it's a matter of math, calories in vs. calories burned and it works for me the best and most of all it's a lifestyle change not a diet.

[Amy8888]

For me the issue is whether I can really commit to something or not. I really believe that when I'm committed, I can make something work. So I will not go into detail on all the diets I've tried half-heartedly.

But I've learned that the Intuitive Eating approach does not work for me. I need structure, I need a real plan. I LOVE this whole idea and it SHOULD work in theory. Eat what you want, when you want it. Stop when you are satisfied. Well. I ate what I wanted when I wanted, I just had trouble stopping when I was satisfied. I guess I was never satisfied. Now, 25 pounds heavier than I was a year ago when I first tried that out, I am extremely dissatisfied. It just doesn't work for me as a diet plan.

[DCHound]

I love Atkins. It is the only diet that has ever worked for me. I gained slowly but steadily on Weight Watchers. I either gain or maintain on counting calories. I am a carb addict, my body cannot process carbs, so Atkins is the only thing that works for me. I'm glad there are people that can eat carbs and still lose weight; I'm not one of them.