[Br00klyn]

Just starting a thread to get everyone chattin'... So, I wanna know, what have you had success with? What plan are you following?

And...let's all try to see all sides of the dieting world.. What are your thoughts on low fat vs. low carb?

Enjoy...

[gonzostar]

i pick the middle one! low calorie!

because no matter how low fat OR low carb you are, you have to BURN more calories than you EAT.

they are the bottom line.

[Jillegal]

I have to go with something I can live with for the rest of my life, otherwise I'll diet until I lose weight and then go right back to what I was doing before (this is speaking from experience). Over the years I did the skim milk-banana thing, the all fruit one week-all veggie the next, liquid diets, low-fat, low-carb (I did Atkins way back in the early 70's when it was brand new and I was disgusted with myself for being 5lbs. above what my goal weight is now ). I've done just about every fad diet around, but when it comes right down to it, I've found that losing weight and being able to keep it off (so far) is because of balance. I've been doing Weight Watchers for almost two years now, and it's a very balanced lifestyle based mainly on portion control (NO foods are excluded so long as you watch portion sizes and plan for your "treats"). Of course the plan is truly successful if you eat healthy foods comprised of dairy, protein, grains, fruits/veggies, so all the nutrients are covered, but the portion control combined with counting "points" (not calories) naturally results in eating less sugar, less fat and less carbs (by consuming whole grains and "good" carbs like veggies). So I guess what I've been doing is a combination of lower fat and lower carb rather than low fat vs. low carb. Again, it's important for me to be able to follow a plan I can stick to for life, and though I know several people who've had great success with low carb, I don't think it's a lifestyle I could stay on for any length of time. BUT, whatever works for you is what's important - whether it be Weight Watchers, South Beach, Atkins, or just eating less and moving more. It's so easy to forget that we're all different and we all lose at different rates, so I try not to get discouraged when it takes me a month to lose 1/2lb. when people here are losing 10lbs. a week. It's all relative, and who cares how long it takes to get there as long as we're on the right road (and running or walking down it rather than driving along it - after all exercise plays a big part too!)

[Jenanne]

Low calorie. I'm avoiding certain foods that make me feel unwell when injested (deep fat fried foods, cheeses and milk) but otherwise simply trying to remember what a portion looks like and stick with that. It's darn hard! :-)

I've slipped a lot over the past year (I started my first outside-the-house job last February and haven't yet figured out how to maintain healthy eating while at work - and its gotten worse as the job has gotten more stressful) and hope that eliminating foods that made me feel unwell, and adding in daily exercise, will do the trick.

[Inca's Momma]

I too am doing Weight Watchers along with a Curves workout. I know I can't do low carb (I'm an addict) and I like being able to eat anything in the world as long as I plan for it.

[Sandi]

I'm a calorie counting girl. I try to eat on the healthier side of it, but this way there is no forbidden foods...EXCEPT...sweets. With sweets, I cannot control myself and it sets me to binging and gaining. I have never before FORBIDDEN a food group out of my diet, but being off sweets the past few months really did the trick for me. WIth the calories I don't go too low. Usually somewhere betweeen 1600 - 1800. That way I don't feel deprived.

[tolose85]

I am watching my calorie intake (which also limits the fat and carbs). I am eating more balanced meals. What a difference not eating greasy fatty foods make! I keep a food journal and weigh-in once a week (On Sunday). I plan for treats and really stick to my daily calorie goal. I go to the gym 5 days a week and do 100 reps of stomach crunches every single day. I have also decided to up my exercise by jogging to the gym 2-3 times per week. (2 mi.) I haven't felt this good for a long time. It's paying off too! I lost almost 20 lbs and 20 inches in March! Don't deprive yourself of food. Stick to serving sizes and eat in moderation! I have found that when you deprive yourself and eat things like boiled chicken every day it doesn't work. Get creative with your meals. You can make just about anything in a lower fat lower calorie version. It just takes planning!

[dowsx4]

I usually eat lower carb and lower fat but keep calories between 1400-1700. I really am just eating healthier and i do not eat sweets. Sugars are bing trigger for me as well. Anything really starchy will cause me to have cravings so i try to avoid those type of things.

[lessofsarahtolove]

Calorie counting all the way here. The low carb thing just doesn't make sense to me -- no offense to you low carbers out there, more power to you! I keep my calories to 1500 and have no refined carbs, minimal sugar (just what naturally exists in fruit and complex carb's.) I'm big on lots of fruits and veggies, and I eat small, well-balanced meals 5 times a day, with a snack after dinner. By well-balanced, I mean that I don't eat carb's without protein.

Low fat, too. My max is 25% fat, but I aim for 20-22% -- most of it olive oil, with whatever trace fat there is in chicken, turkey, and the odd 4 oz. slab of beef tenderloin! Saturated fat I keep to the bare minimum -- again, what's contained in the meat above.

Oh! And this is really important: I follow the Glycemic Index when selecting my carb's, and try to choose low-GI carb's, like pasta, brown rice, basmati rice, high-fiber whole wheat bread, All-Bran Extra Fiber, beans, etc. If I do eat a carb with a heaver glycemic load -- like a banana -- I balance it with other items which have a low load, so the whole meal is balanced. I'm not diabetic, and I don't want to be....and this scientific method of carb selection will help me to avoid adult onset diabetes, I'm hoping. At the very least, it is healthier and aids weight loss. I feel SOOOO much better since I made these changes, and I definitely don't feel deprived.

It's absolutely working for me: I've lost 18 pounds in a month (maybe more - I haven't weighed myself since Saturday. That's with minimal exercise for the first 2 1/2 weeks. I'm much better now about the exercise, and expect to see my loss increase much faster now that I'm in a regular routine of biking and walking.

[dowsx4]

Sarah what you do sounds similar to what i do. Its just eating healthier and making wiser choices but no set guidlines. Congrats on the weightloss!

[barbygirl43]

I need some structure so I'm following Weight Watchers. I would pretty much ditto jill's description of it. I'm also using Dr. Phil's keys to weight loss as well. I would just follow his plan for high yield/high response foods but my family isn't ready to give up thier foods so I can't set up a totally fail-free environment. What I am doing though is as we run out of the high fat mayonaise replace it with fat free.

I agree that portion control to me is the key. I love food too much to give up. My kitchen scale and measuring cup has become my new best friends.

[Sheila53]

I also need the structure (meetings, weigh-ins, journals, gold stars) of Weight Watchers. I like the fact that I can eat anything I want, and, with some foods, I've managed to actually take a taste or bite of something and call it good. I'm trying to make this a lifestyle change rather than a diet because I've done diets before (including WW) with the mindset that I'd lose the weight and go back to eating what I'd always eaten. You can tell from my signature how well that worked!

[Br00klyn]

Yeah, I'm basically just Eating Healthy, and drinking lots of water of course. I'm watching calories and fat grams. I try to stay under 1800 Calories per Day and 50 grams of Fat..

Just a question.. Even though, I'm not focused on a low-carb diet? To be losing weight with a primary focus on calorie & fat counting, should I still have a max. amount of carbs per day? And, if yes... Does anyone know where I can find out what I should be having?

Thanx

i think i may have to start counting calories b/c i'm getting nowhere FAST.

other than that, i try to severly limit over-processed foods, fried food, and i don't drink regular soda. heh. i try.

there will probably be another one of us in the calorie counter club soon

[barbygirl43]

Br00klyn--While I was pregnant I had Gestational Diabetes and they first try to control it with your diet by limiting the carbs. I could have 30g for breakfast, 15g for morning snack, 60g for lunch, 15 grams for afternoon snack, 60g for dinner and 45g for night snack. I'm not sure how many you are supposed to have but I know that it wasn't too hard to stay within those limits and I did actually lose weight on it. I went from 317 down to 305 which is what I was when I delivered.
HTH