What weight loss plan does everyone follow? I see some awesome successes on this page and am very insprired by all of you I find it interesting to see what route everyone chooses when it comes to weight loss.
I like myfitnesspal, too . I have done low carb for a while but I am thinking of starting to tweak a little and do a low-er carb plan but with counting cals and I also eat only very minimal processed foods.
I do a combination of things, mostly due to health reasons. I am type 2 diabetic, PCOS, menopausal and I have food sensitivites. I'm not on any medication for anything. I eat a very low carb version of the Paleolithic diet and I combine that with intermittent fasting. When I stick to it, I can really control my blood sugar, which seems to be what drives my weight loss.
I also do Pilates four to five times a week, weight training split routines six days a week and cardio three days a week. Weight is not melting off me quickly but I'm okay with that as long as my skin keeps shrinking!
I have a bit of dieter's ADD, so whenever I get bored, I change plans. Over the course of my weight loss "this time," I've probably used at least half a dozen distinct plans, and at least a couple dozen variations of those plans: Atkins, South Beach, Paleo, Weight Watcher's points, WW Core...
Usually I ended up translating/converting the basic plans into an exchange plan or some other form of calorie counting/estimating (if that isn't already a component of the plan), because I've been dieting so long, it's second nature to do so. I especially like converting the WOE's into exchange plans, because it makes it easier to compare the effectiveness between plans.
For example, if I hadn't converted low-carb into an 1800 calorie exchange plan, I would have never learned that I lose as well or better on an 1800 calorie exchange plan than on a 1500 calorie high carb plan (and I'm a lot less hungry too - in fact I'm hungrier on 3000 calories of high-carb than on 1000 calories of low-carb).
Right now, I'm taking a break from exchange plans to try "The Simple Diet" from the book, The Simple Diet: A Doctor's Science-Based Plan by
James W. Anderson and Nancy J. Gustafson (a doctor and a dietitian).
The plan is based on meal replacement shakes, prepackaged dinners, supplemented with at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables (fruits and veggies are unlimited, but the reader is encouraged to monitor food choices and progress to determine whether they're overeating on-program foods).
In a perfect world, I would follow a paleo diet all of the time, because I do think it's the healthiest for me. However, I also am a pragmatist, and when my life gets very busy, I start making compromises and The Simple Diet for me is one of those compromises. I was so burnt out on planning, preparing, and calculating my food choices, that I found myself "rebelling" by eating off-plan way too often (and drastically off-plan foods). When I find myself eating off-plan frequently and find my weight loss stalling as a result) that's a pretty good indication that it's time to change plans.
Ironically, I think I'm actually eating as well or better with the shakes and prepackaged meals, because I'm selecting the meals carefully, and bulking them up with a lot more low-calorie freggies (I love that term for fruits and veggies).
I'm even making many of the meals myself (and most of the shakes) from scratch, they're just preportioned and in the freezer. And my homemade dinners are pretty paleo-friendly, so I'm still being influenced by the paleo principles.
Boredom has always been one of my biggest weight loss obstacles, and I've finally come to realize it's easier to work with my distractibility than to try to overcome it. So when I need variety, I add variety - and I don't worry too much about whether it's the "perfect" plan, because chances are I'm not going to stick with it very long.
I found that you don't have to find something you can stick to, in order to lose weight - you just have to stick to whatever you're trying now. It isn't changing plans that destroys weight loss, it's the "vacation" we tend to take between plans that is deadly, because when we are bored with one plan, we usually don't jump into a new one, we take a "break" from dieting first (and usually gain during these breaks, so we end up starting over rather than moving on to something else).
I have a bit of dieter's ADD, so whenever I get bored, I change plans.
I do this as well. While I (almost) always count calories, I have done several different types of things this time around. Right now I'm doing low carb, high protein, low fat, low calorie (it's temporary). I've done intermittent fasting (kind of still do). I've done South Beach. I've tried higher carb. Tried vegetarian for a very short time. I've tried eating only whole foods. I've tried eating total crap food as long as it's in my calorie limit. I am kind of all over the place as far as the actual food the makes up my calories. I've taken 2 breaks from counting calories over the past 7/8 months too, but not for more than 4 weeks at a time. Calorie counting has been the only consistent thing through out, everything else has been all over the place.
Calorie counter, nutrient dense whole foods, no meat (only fish such as salmon, tuna, rainbow trout). I run, walk, swim, lift weights, and all sorts of other physical activity to keep fit.
I eat a 1,500 calorie carb/fat/protein controlled diet from my nutritionist (so I count grams of all of those pretty much), drink lots of water, and work out on an elliptical as much as possible.
(1,800 when I was at my heavier weight...and may need to take it down as I get smaller....)
Last edited by heathermichigan; 10-13-2012 at 08:02 PM.
Calorie counting (or rather estimating), not much meat, mostly home-cooked food, evenly balanced meals and snacks (about 500 cals each), mainly aerobic exercising 4 times per week.
I count calories - I go max 1500 a day. And light exercise every day. It's the only thing that works for me. Have tried other things with no success, low carb for example made me gain.
I'm calorie counting too, with a daily limit of 1800. I haven't had fast food in I don't know how long and am eating way more fruits and veggies (they fit much better into my plan).
I quit carbs 2 weeks ago, which I honestly haven't missed at all! (except for the occasional pasta craving :/). I'm sticking to meats and veggies until I get under 200 (30 pounds to go!). I have sweets cravings almost daily though, but I was told that new habits take 3 weeks to form, so I'm really hoping to quit sugar cold turkey for 3 weeks and not crave it nearly as much anymore.
For exercise, I walk around campus at least an hour a day to and from classes, and I work 20-35 hours a week as a server.
What is YOUR weight loss method of choice?
I find it interesting to see what route everyone chooses when it comes to weight loss.
