What didn't work for me:

dropping below 1000 calories then going 500 a day when I hit a plateau

hydroxycut and dexatrim

not eating for a long time and then finally eating

I'm sure there's plenty more, but that's the main ones that I can think of right now, lol.

I've done all kinds of things.

Dexatrim.

Eat a sensible breakfast, lunch, but don't eat after 2pm. You will lose, but be ravenous.

ATkins. I actually like that.

WW. I can make it work, heck I'm a lifetime member.

With age, and it does bite to have to get old to get smart, but with age comes wisdom.

There are lots of programs that will work, if you work them. BUT, there are sacrifices involved.

I've come to realize, that no matter what program I follow, and I'm a WW lover, that in order for me to get where I want to be, the emotional and relationship parts of my life will have to change.

Taking that step, and turning the life I know upside down, is way scary. However, if I don't find the inner strength to do it, the only person I"m really letting down, is myself.

Hi Paradise Falls ! I'm so glad to see that another person went from Medifast meals to the Take Shape for Life diet. I agree with you, the Medifast food is a little hard to live with. I am almost at 2 months and I just can't take it any longer. I too, have seen great results. It is the ONLY diet that has worked for me within the past 10 years. I too, have been living on the same few items, the pretzels, caramel nut bars, and dutch chocolate shakes. I am now out of pretzels and bars now, and this morning actually gagged on a shake. I am at the point where I do NOT look forward to my next meal, even if I'm hungry. I have been reading the Dr Andersen's book, Habits of Health, and it makes so much sense. So tomorrow, that's it.. .I'm headint to the grocery store and stocking up to follow the plan for myself, but using "real" food rather than the pre-packaged medifast meals. I agree, it will be more challenging in a way because I will have to think and plan more. But at this point, I just can not physically stomach any more medifast meals.

My question to you is this. . .when you transitioned to using "real" food did you have any weight "gain" or did you continue to lose weight at the same rate as the medifast meals? I have noticed that the outline in Dr A's book, would be for a 1100-1200 diet. What I have decided to do is not have that second meal at breakfast and just have a 100 calorie fueling break. . .this will bring my calories to 800-1000, very similar to Medifast total. What do you think of this idea? Also, when you transitioned from the medifast pre-package foods to the real food, did you experience any stomach pain? Thanks for your help!

Lisa

Things that did not work for me

-Denial (I'm overweight but healthy. I carry my weight well, etc)
-Not looking at my emotional connection to food
-Having a list of "bad" foods
-slimfast (blech)
-WW (the first time I was able to stay in my points but still ate the crap food like taco bell, French fries, candy etc which was not enough bulk so I was hungry often and triggered to binge also I am sure my blood sugars were pretty high. The second time it worked well and DH and I both lost a good amount of weight then we went on vacation and ate our way to the east coast on unhealthy foods like poutine, cinnamon buns (they had just come out at Tim Hortons), fried fish, etc my new clothes I had to by for the vacation due to the weight loss were already getting tight at the end of the 2 weeks and when we got home we just kept eating)
-Eating really low carb
-Fasting - my body does really well when I started eating breakfast regularly. I think I just eat less throughout the day.
-Not planning out my food
-Not journalling my food
-Not exercising
-Eating crappy fake "diet" food
-Not realizing that I can not "diet" and then go back to my old eating habits
-Getting stuck on how long it will take to lose weight

What is working
-Eating whole healthy foods, lots of veggies, some fruits, healthy fats and complex carbs
-avoiding sugar as much as possible as it really triggers binges
-realizing I can eat any food I want incl sugar but i also have to understand that anything I but into my body will have an effect on my body.
-Watching my son and his healthy relation to food (I have watched my 3 year old put down a piece of chocolate so he could eat some raw cauliflower, refuse to eat McDonalds hamburger because it "doesn't smell like real food mama" and be able to eat a few fries and leave the rest. No food is better then any other food to him)
-Tracking my food and aiming for a caloric goal as well as following the exchanges for a diabetic diet incl
-Realizing that the way I am eating now is the way I will eat for the rest of my life
-Getting moderate exercise daily (still working on this :)
-Loving myself no matter what size I am (not excepting my fatness but knowing that my fat is also a part of me) also still working on this
-understanding that weight loss and lifestyle change is a process and to have compassion for myself and understanding that even binges and going of plan is teaching me something about myself and my journey

I am really enjoying reading all of these and I identify with a ton of them, ha! :) Thanks for sharing, everybody!

What didn't work for me;
1.Working out almost everyday, but NOT counting calories.
2.Mega Green Tea pills (made me go #2 alot) didn't lose any weight though.
3.Counting calories and NOT working out.

NOT WORKED:
- Diet pills (any)
- South Beach Diet
- Shakes & bars (Just: no.)
- Weight Watchers
- X-Day Diets

WHAT HAS WORKED/IS WORKING:
- Exercising and significantly reducing calorie consumption
- Energy/vitamin supplements

Atkins

Oxy Elite Pro

TOO EXTREME (I can't restrict everything in my life)

"I'll start tomorrow... so let's have fun today"

Giving up things I truly love. I LOVE chocolate. I sometimes have to add it to my food. I can make room in my calories for it, or realize that having a few pieces in a rare occasion, has to be ok. I can't live if I don't live.

Not getting support. I love this site because it's motivating, and inspiring. That's right, you all inspire me!

Not working out. I need exercise.

No goals

No restrictions

Not keeping tabs on what I eat. I need to write it down or I lose track and go overboard.

I see parts of me in the previous posts. However, most of what I've tried has worked when I followed the guidelines. The restrictive diets don't work well for me since I tend to binge after. I too have tried vegan and raw. I felt better physically but couldn't maintain. Low carb is hard for me to follow as well.

I loved your post butterflymama. I think I needed to read some of the positives about what is working (not that it is not educational to read what is not working for people). It was good for me.

Tonight I have decided Chinese food is not working. :) And I pretty much never eat it! I am currently reminded of why. It is amazing how one cannot even actually overeat the darn food and still totally bloat up!

Slim Fast, for some reason the shakes gave me a massive headache.

Nutrisystem, too much additional food I needed to add, made me just want to cook my own stuff.

I can not possibly remember everything I've ever tried, as I've been "dieting" my entire life, it seems.

However, that is the problem.
I'm dieting. I'm not changing my lifestyle, or eating healthier, or exercising more.
Sure, I've lost 40 pounds in 4 months before.
However I was walking like 10 miles a day on the treadmill, drinking 10 bottles of water, and eating 500 calories.
I couldn't be happy with my weight loss, because I was so depressed with my "diet".

We set ourselves up to fail when we say we're going to cut something out completely, or we're going to completely change our diet, or jump right into a strenuous exercise routine.
We set ourselves up to fail when we say "I'm going to lose x amount of pounds in x amount of months".
We set ourselves up to fail when we look at someone else's diet, and decide it has to work for us.

We need to always remember a few things:

Don't live to eat, eat to live.
Your body is a temple.
You're your problem, and you're your solution.
We're human.

That last one is key. WE ARE HUMAN. We make mistakes. We can't correct these mistakes by making them again. If you "fall off the wagon", just chalk it up to a lesson learned, and don't do it the next time. Will you make the same mistake again? Probably. Will it ruin everything you've worked so hard to achieve? **** no.
You didn't gain all that weight in a day, and in that same respect, you aren't going to ruin your entire diet in a day either.

I have been on some sort of "diet" for most of my adult life (I am 41) and I'm heavier now than I've ever been. I've done WW many times (had some success but always gained it back), low carb, low fat, prescribed diet pills (did nothing for me), various OTC fat-burning supplements, skipping meals, Alli, Slim-Fast, 3-day-diet, and probably many others that I'm not even thinking of. I have also gone through periods of working out every day at a level that would not be sustainable for me.

I am wise enough to know that the only way to lose weight is to eat right and exercise and burn more calories than I take in, but when it comes to losing weight, I can't seem to lose the "quick fix" mentality. It's like, I know better, but if someone offered me some magic beans and told me they'd help me lose weight, I'd take them! :dizzy:

What doesn't work for me:

Any plan that requires hours of food preparation. If it's not quick I'm sooner or later going to be tired/busy and buy something/anything fast to keep me going. And then I'll do it again. And again.

Any diet that has excluded a food group/type like fat, carbs etc. If I can't order from a menu or visit a friends house and eat then I'm going to break it and feel frustrated with it. If I can't eat something I think I want it more.

Any diet that excludes a food. If I exclude something entirely then I feel deprived and miserable. I will rebel and break the diet for this and also start to crave.

Keeping foods I find it hard to stop eating in the house. Anywhere, any cupboard. One bad night and I'll scoff them all.

Diets with six meals a day. Too much. Just too many things to think about and prepare.

Not planning for some emotional eating/drinking. Eg when I broke up last I gave myself leave for a bar of chocolate a day and buckets of tea. But no more than that. A plan for lapsing is better than an uncontrolled all out lapse. It works for me anyway.

What works for me:

is counting and recording calories, eating only delicious meals, limiting no food, keeping my hard to stop eating foods out of the house and walking and cycling. Oh, and when I lapse going back again of course!

Hi Sandman,
I'm at a plateau too. I'm going to try refeeding/cheat day. I have a post about this on the calorie counter page. The people who responded said this works. Check it out.

What hasn't worked:

south beach
counting calories alone: this worked when I was younger but never long term and now it no longer works
Alli
Dexatrim
Ephedra
Slimfast

What is working:

Atkins combined with metformin for insulin resistance and pcos. I went for 5 years gaining weight and restricting fat and calories and working out like crazy and never once did I see the scale go down. It went up from 215 lbs to 299 over 5 years. I did have a baby 2 years ago which I am sure did not help my weight loss. Now in 2 months with metformin and low carb I am finally losing weight and am now down 19 pounds. People are extremely misinformed about atkins if all they think it is is greasy bacon and no fruit or veggies. I'm now slowly adding in low carb fruit like strawberries and I've been eating veggies since day 1.

I wish I could be like some of you and just count calories so I could have everything in small amounts but my body does not tolerate carbs whatsoever.

The Hospital soup diet.....Gained everything back :)

Just spent an hour reading this thread. It's good reinforcement for healthy habits to hear over and over again that such and such doesn't work!

My aunt paid for online WW for me when I was in university. I basically lied to myself and massaged the numbers. I'd use a half cup of mayo and log it as a teaspoon. I'm excellent at denial. I tried Atkins in high school but I didn't have the discipline.

What's working now? A mish mash! I'm eating as primarily as possible (no organic meat until Dec when my butcher kills again), restricting carbs to under 20g, and keeping my base calories around 1000, but always eating most of my exercise cals. I swim daily and do kettle bells at home.

Low carb diets. Atkins I suppose. They are so hard to maintain and I felt so weak all the time. I stayed on it about 2 weeks (for die hard LC's that isn't long enough, I know). I just finally went off of it because I couldn't take the deprivation. The first few days of it I felt a hunger like I'd never felt before. I did lose weight, how much of it was fat I don't know. Anyways, what's the point in doing a diet you can't maintain the rest of your life? Or a diet that makes you so weak you can't exercise?

Skipping meals never worked out for me. I ended going to the doctor after trying to skip 2 meals a day.
Counting calories didn't work for me. At first I lost 4kg and then I wouldn't lose after that. I just couldn't figure out the right amount of daily calories.
Trying to eat healthy foods and not worry about any other method to lose weight. With this I just couldn't get the right portions.

What has worked:
Weight watchers and exercise. (when I have the motivation:( )

What didn't work for me...well I guess everything I've tried! Haha! Except calorie counting. It definitely works the best for me and I love it, but I have horribly disordered eating and am working my way through issues with food that have been set in stone from my disordered childhood eating. I have had the most success with calorie counting, but I know it's not for everyone. I just can't eat the things a book tells me to eat, but I do know to add veggies, complex carbs and have less sugar, less simple carbs, less starch, and more healthy fats, lean protien...I suppose the hard part is doing that on your own without a plan to follow. Obviously, my advice should be taken with a grain of low-sodium seasoning, because I have not had true success with calorie counting, as I'm still terribly overweight. My issues stem from compulsive overeating and binging and so I am pursuing therapy...

But here's what hasn't worked, for various reasons!

Weight Watchers: Basically calorie counting, for $20 a month and with a bit of emphasis on exercise and eating veggies and healthy fats. Easily done at home...for free. But that's my opinion. WW is structured, though, and makes it easier to watch your healthy food intake. Though, they don't only count calories, and that should be remembered. I believe they get their points values from a combination of calories as well as the nutritional value of the food...

Starving: This one's obvious. When I was a child I actually starved my way from 220 to 160. I ate maybe 800 calories a day and exercised 2+ each evening. Eventually the weight came back on as I became an alcoholic and started eating normally.

Diet pills: I have tried Slimquick(or whatever it is, with the commercials complaining about men's fast weight loss...) Zantrax 3. You should have seen me on Zantrax. Shaking like a chihuahua. I was in hairschool at the time and when the shakes would come on I'd have to hide in a corner, lest they give me a haircut to do. I had to bone up and do one once, the poor client was so concerned for my uncontrollably shaking hands! I managed alright though, got him out of my chair, and hid in the locker room until I could control myself.

Purging: I guess there's not much to say about this one. Mostly in my teens, I'd eat whatever and then throw it up. Lost some weight, but ultimately didn't think it worth it to be thin with no teeth.

Super low calorie counting: I'd try to drastically cut down the number I knew I should be eating, going from 2000 down to 1,200. Not entirely starving, but unmaintainable.

I stand by calorie counting, but I also urge people to not only consider the calories. 200 calories of apple is a much better option than 200 calories of candy. But again, not for everyone.

I think it should be remembered that most of the things that have failed us are starving, binging, diet supplements and other such nonsense. Any plan that asks you to eat a reasonable amount of food and gives you some options should not be frowned on. Some people need that structure and assistance in getting going, even if you have to buy a book to get going on it. People are also quick to debunk diets that they couldn't follow, even if it might be the perfect solution for someone in a different situation.

Most of the diets I've tried "work." It's getting off the diet and maintaining that causes the problem.

That being said, I didn't lose a thing on Weight Watchers prepackaged meals, south beach diet, counting calories alone.

Medifast, Optifast, and all meal-replacement products. Because I have a soy intollerance and couldn't lose weight when I was feeling so sick on this stuff.

Similar reason I couldn't lose weight with Nutrisystem, Chefsdiet, eDiet. Soy and also, too many carbs. I am also type 2 diabetic and PCOS

High protein diets - Not just good enough to cut carbs in order to manage blood sugar. Overeating protein spikes blood sugar as well since 60% of your protein is converted to glycogen.

Low fat diets - Hungry ALL THE TIME!

Not sleeping enough - I really need 8 hours a night, and sleeping less means I overeat the next day to stay awake and energized.

Over-training - Because it makes me too sore and achy to want to go back to the gym and I stay home in my pjs and drown my sorrows in snack foods.

hi there violetdolphin!!....yohoooooooo...coooooooooooeee.. i don't know how to send a pm here...or even if i can yet...being a new member....i think we have heaps in common hun...would you like to buddy up??...i am an aussie too, i love and adore cats, we are around the same weight and i am a homemaker too...what do you think??...hope you see this!!....cheers liz

Me me me me me! This is me! Anything that doesn't focus on calorie restriction/portion restriction hasn't worked for me either for the same reasons, my appetite is too big.
I did Atkins for a while and lost 20lbs but that was the end of that. For the life of me I just couldn't lose anymore. I stopped and I gained every pound back and then some. At 49 I'm finally realizing that I have to find something that works for me and something I can stick to for the rest of my life. I've had to bite the bullet and start counting & measuring. So far so good and I'm not deprived or feeling left out or needing a special menu when eating out. I don't know why I avoided counting cals like the plague before because It's so much easier to do in IMO.

This thread is a real eye opener for me. I think this thread should be in the newspaper. :D

Every diet so far!!!!! :)

I've tried them all, and my problem is staying with them. As most have posted, it's about counting your calories and monitoring your exercise. If WW or SBD works for you, then go with it.

I've finally realized that I have to have potatoes every once in a while. And pasta. Can't have them every day, but when I do, I realize that those are the days where I might not lose and might even gain a pound. But finding a way to have the foods I like incorporated into a balanced diet has been working for the week I've been dieting. Not very long, but six days longer than my last 10 attempts! :)

I love this thread. :D

Things that didn't work for me:

- Green tea diet pills (Basically just huge caffeine pills. Ugh what was I even thinking. Waste of $$!!!)

- High carb / calorie restriction (Never made it longer than 11 days in 20+ years of trying.)

- Wrapping my body in saran wrap and exercising furiously (THE THINGS I DID IN THE NAME OF BEAUTY LOL :o)

- Long term fasting (I still think one day fasts are healthy, but long fasts are never going to be a sustainable weight loss method for anyone.)

- Going vegetarian/vegan (Not really a weight loss method per say anyway, so I don't know why I expected this to ~magically~ make me lose weight? Calories, what are those?)

- Nutrisystems (Holy moly now that was some serious $$$!)

- A candy diet (Guess why this didn't work out hahaha.)

- All soup diet (Can't remember if it was cabbage soup diet or just soup in general. I do remember running out of toilet paper.)

Hmmm, I'm sure there's dozens upon dozen more I'm not remembering from my "dieting career." :dizzy:
Oh my word, in fact I just remembered one more!

- Dexatrim! (Back when it had whatever stuff it had in it. (I had to google it: phenylpropanolamine??) I remember it making me feel sick... yet another waste of $$!)

Wow! I just got here and luckily stumbled upon this awesome thread. (Four years in the making and still going strong.) It is nice to know that I am far from alone in my ventures.

Here is how dieting usually (doesn't!) work for me:

Cut calories/fat/carbs/whatever the current rage and grow tired of it in about a week. Then I say - I'll simply exercise more!

Three days of exercising more and I say - this sucks! I'll simply cut back on my calories/fat/carbs/whatever.

Rinse and repeat.

What hasn't worked for me:

-Trying to be very restrictive/perfect
-Trying to introduce too many changes at once
-Trying to lose weight very quickly with the expectation that every week the scale will drop evenly

What has worked:
-Weight watchers (online tracking with my phone)
-Ditching alcohol
-Introducing changes at my own pace (waited 9 months before starting an exercise program (although prob should have started around the 5 month mark)

Since my 20s I have gained/lost/dieted on and off, and I'm 40-something now. Most anything I have tried has worked as long as I was committed and stayed on-plan.

HOWEVER...

Two diets have worked really well, really fast for me: Slim-Fast (in the 90s) and now Medifast. This is a product of my personality, I think.

I have done Weight Watchers and I have lost on it. Slowly but surely, in a reasonable, healthy way. But I was obsessed with counting points, figuring out exactly what I was going to eat, how to "cheat" and still stay on plan, etc. Every single time I did WW I was obsessed. My mind was swimming in food and points and planning 24/7. I think for reasonable, level-headed people who are not prone to being obsessive or compulsive about things, WW is the best diet.

But for me, taking away my ability to choose what I eat, and in turn my ability to overthink and overplan and overstress, was key. With Medifast I set an alarm on my phone to tell me when to eat (6 times a day, and I only prepare one of those 6 meals). When the phone says eat, I eat. A shake, a bar, the mac & cheese, the cereal, it doesn't matter - I have to eat a Medifast meal. And that's that. It is automated and there is no need to think about any of it. And so I lose weight really well.

That's just me - I truly think everyone is different.

WW has worked for me with one drawback.

FRUIT!

Fruit does not work for me! I like fruit, but my body does not, so, I don't eat it anymore!:D

Not working....
 

Hi there

New to the forum and saw this thread so I thought I would add to the growing list of what hasn't worked.
So here goes....

-liproxinol
-fat blaster
-fat magnet
-not eating


Now i have tried tony ferguson and this did help me lose some weight. Now im trying rapid loss. Figers crossed this will have some result.:D

The Gazelle.

Biggest waste of money and time. I think I break more of a sweat sitting on the couch. :lol:

Funny that you mention the gazelle because it worked well for my mother. She has a somewhat physical job but wanted exercise in the evenings. She uses it nearly every night while watching tv. She isn't huffing and puffing but it was either that or napping on the couch.

Weight watchers! I just seem to maintain :(

WW does NOT work for everyone...GF and other limits
 

I am gluten intolerant ( we have confirmed celiac disease in our family...and a lot of other significant food allergies) also...I am hypothyroid.
After trying WW twice and gaining or maintaining.....:?:.....my endocrinologist said WW would not be a good diet for me. In the past I was most sucessful with Atkins but found it restrictive and I love vegetables so I was hard. I love growing herbs and tomatoes...it's hard not to be able to enjoy the tomatoes in the early part of that kind of diet!!! Now that I know I need to watch wheat and gluten, Jenny Craig and Nutrisystem are not options.

This time I'm doing The Ideal Protein Diet. I have seen the results of someone who used it this past year...and was WILDLY successful. I'm hoping for this to jump-start an initial loss that will help keep me motivated when the inevitable plateau happens. I am not too worried about "finding" recipes at the moment. I just want something that will help me lose and is prescribed.Actually, think I can choke down what ever it is...for me eating does NOT need be fun for a while. After 3 days on the plan..the packets are tolerable...and easy. Don't like one of the soups and had one drink that was too sweet so I'll just not get those again. They have a LARGE number of selections that are gluten free...which is unlike any other prescribed plan. By early summer I should be able to manage the phases with real protein food and lots of vegetables. This is a good time of year to do this initial part.

I tried the Eat Clean diet. I did lose about 20 lbs in two months on it, but honestly, I was also 2 months away from running my first marathon and running 50 k a week. Not sure what Eat Clean did. Plus, I gained about 60 pounds after going off eat clean and post marathon (stupid running injury!), and when I tried to get back into it, it felt so rigid. I thought about food alllll the time and it didn't help. Also, I found i just ate 5 regular sized meals anyway, so no wonder I gained!!!

It taught me a lot about nutrition though, but that could have been anywhere, really.

I've never gone down the pills and supplements route (except for basic vitamins) ....but

EVERYTHING WORKS FOR ME

Low-carb, low-fat, calorie counting whatever....

***for a while***

Calorie counting - I go insane trying to eat fewer and fewer calories, eventually break after destroying my metabolism. Restrictive diets? I crave what I'm not allowed. I always gain back. Even when I've successfully lost to goal weight I slip back to old eating patterns.

This time I'm going for self-hypnosis/intuitive eating. So far so good. What I like best about it is that I don't THINK about food that much and don't crave it and don't eat out of boredom.

Oh - and what REALLY doesn't work. Smoking. Every time I start smoking again I gain. I have to exercise or I will gain. Exercising doesn't make me lose without calorie reduction, but if I don't do it I sure as heck will gain. When I smoke, I exercise less. When I quit smoking I lose weight. I've lost 15 pounds since quitting smoking on 19 December.

Eating meat while trying to lose weight did not work for me. So, I had to cut the meat! Never tried any diet plans..

What has 'nt work for me is making excuses that let me off the hook.
Not taking accountability for my weight
Refusing to start a diet because it's not a good time now..

What has worked ...being honest with myself and acknowledging Through Gluttony I have put my Health at risk!

Investigating all my options and Then Working The Plan
What works for me is not throwing myself a pity party
What works for me is not to indulge myself with negative things,people or thoughts that will derail my progress.
What works for me is to surround myself with positive people and experiences.
What works for is to acknowledge the power I have to make my dreams a reality.
What works for me is Ideal Protein
What works for me is my Positive way of looking at life
What works for me is refusing to allow myself to fail
What works for me is to realize you can't unring a bell and accept my shortcomings and strife each day to be better
What works for me is to acknowledge how lucky I am that everyday I get to choose behaviors and I have time to fix this
What works for me is seeing how far I've come
What works for is Rejoicing in life
What works for is Claiming what I want and striving to get there
What works for me Is My Awesome Ideal Protein Coach who does not sugarcoat the truth and tells me What I need to hear and has held me to my commitments!
What works for me is seeing my Goal in sight!
What works for me is having supportive family and friends!

What works for me is letting go of past mistakes.:hug:
What works for me Realizing I Deserve to put myself on the top of my to do list!
What works for me is being Gratiful for every Good or Bad experience that has shaped me into being Resilient.
What works for me is my faith.
What works for me is knowing I am truly blessed.
What works for me is knowing this is a small part of my life but it will have a lasting impact.
What works for me is acknowledging how life is so fragile and I should not take it for granted!
What works for me is knowing time and life is precious and not to waste it!
Good Luck,
Roo2:carrot::carrot::carrot: