I can't $&@!#@ stand them. They make me sick. All the measuring, and carb counting, and always worrying about food, and freaking out after I eat something wrong. Ugh! I just can't do it anymore. Plus they never work for me and I've never met anyone who's lost weight on some crappy diet and kept it off. These past two weeks without dieting have been great. I'm cooking all these good healthy meals and working out and I feel fabulous. Even though I haven't lost a bunch of weight yet I'm not tired all the time, I sleep better, and I haven't obsessed about food. I'm just gonna stick to healthy eating and working out and if then weight comes off, then it comes off.

Sorry guys I just needed to vent

Hey Butterfly - I've actually been thinking about the same thing. Instead of following a certain "diet plan", I'm just going to concentrate on eating more whole foods like fruits and vegetables and limit my processed carbohydrates. I'm also going to watch my portion sizes, eat only when I'm hungry, and stop eating when I don't feel hungry any more.

I'm going to try this for a while and see how it works. I think every person has to think about what's right for them. I wish you the best - keep up the good work!

Jocelyn

The bottom line, if you eat fewer calories than you burn, you'll lose weight. If not, you won't. If you eat healthy foods, a balanced diet, you'll be healthy. If you don't, you won't.

HOW you approach that is as wide open as the sea.

I know many people who have lost weight and kept it off through a "diet." I know others who did it without it. I, personally, needed a concrete plan to get on track, and I still follow it enthusiastically, 3-1/2 years later and 160+ pounds down. If I don't measure I eat too much. I use an exchange plan, which counts my calories for me and I certainly don't "count carbs" or fat grams or anything like that. I cook lots of healthy interesting meals and eat out at restaurants once a week or more. So, not all "diets" are alike, some are easier, more sensible, and more lifestyle-oriented than others.

Do what works for you, but don't think that all planned eating is a fad miracle diet.

I didn't follow any kind of formal plan either. You really just have to do what ever works for you, and it has to be something you know you can keep up for the rest of your life. I definitely appreciate the need some people have for a "plan" to follow, but if that's not for you, then it's not for you. Like Funniegrrl said, "if you eat fewer calories than you burn, you'll lose weight" no matter what. So do it your way and forget about the latest fad diet. This is your life and you gotta live it on your terms. Good luck!!

Beverly

Butterfly55 -- Welcome to your new healthy "LIFESTYLE" !! You have finally gotten your lightbulb moment !!

Hi, let me introduce myself - I am Susan and I have lost and kept off 200+ pounds with WW for 30+ years. I never think of myself as being on a diet. I was making and still follow permanent lifestyle changes. I do WW Core Plan - no weighing, measuring or counting.

While I'm also not big on daily counting, I do find that a once every month or two analysis of what I've been eating stops me from creeping into really bad habits. Let's face it, with all the food ads etc out there, its really, really easy to start eating in ways that the Human Animal was just never designed for!
But as other people have said, its what works for you!

Well, I'll tell you this. I've been following that same kind of healthy eating "plan". Although I wouldn't call it a plan. Everyone asks what diet I'm on and I say, "The Nancy Diet". (I'm Nancy) By just controlling my portion sizes and only eating when I'm TRULY hungry and exercising every day, I've lost a total of 51 pounds in less than 3 months. It IS possible without joining a "fad" diet!

On the other hand, this is EXACTLY how I feel once I get back on track after being off for a while. I get mad at the diet, think I can do it on my own, and end up crashing. I count calories, and while I'm frustrated at it at first, it always settles down into a good rhythm.

I feel it just takes time to get used to the restrictions.