I am running very low on time at the moment so I hope I can post this quickly and I have it make sense. Anyways.. I have plateaued for quit sometime now, and changing exercise isnt helping me bust through, so I said.. " ah ha" diet change. I thought low carb but since all I really eat are complex carbs that it might work but wouldnt be realistic for long term so.. having read the sticky post I thought I would see if you all thought that maybe this could work for me and be realistic with what I eat right now, or if you can fill me in on a little about it. ok..

What I dont eat :

Pork or Beef

What I do eat.. alot..

Oatmeal, Total cereal, tuna, kidney beans, black beans, brown rice, veggies, cheese, fruits.. *** Total carb eatter***

Anyways.. I am stuck on these "last few lbs" and belly fat, and I am trying to bust through. I have tried calorie counting but I tend to not balance my diet it when I calorie count. Please help lol. Sorry if this post is random,... like I said I am just word vomiting because I have to go and I will want to read this when I get home at 130am! ttyl thanks for any and all info!

I had already lost 13 lbs. before trying FS. I was trying different programs because I couldn't get back to Weight Watchers, which had worked in the past. I hated the point counting. I did lowcarb (Carbohydrate Addict's Diet) successfully for over 3 yrs. about 7 yrs. ago but I couldn't get back to that.

I tried a few different plans from Woman's World magazine & also bought The Jerusalem Diet book. So I've tried just about everything! Some of the diets I tried worked for a few weeks but then the loss stopped. Seemed like I was losing & gaining the same couple of pounds.

If I just count calories I start getting hungry because I also don't eat right. I have lost 7 lbs. since being on FS since sometime in Oct. Not only that, but I love the plan and the concept.

The four phases allow you to jumpstart your loss with the detox (which
has helped others that have plateaued on other plans). It is a strict 9 days but it's only 9 days. Most of the items you eat are on detox except the tuna, cold cereal and cheese, but all of those can be added back in Phase II on the 10th day of the plan.

I still count calories because at 5'3" I have a bigger appetite than some men I know! This plan has kept me eating healthy while slowly losing. It also has the different phases and you can go back to any phase if you fall off the wagon or feel like you're losing control.

IOW, if you have a bad day you don't have to feel guilty because there's a built-in "forgiveness" to this plan. You can do a detox day or more or do another 9 days or just go back a phase, whatever you want. To maintain you can combine phases or do a detox day every week or whatever you think you'd need to maintain.

Or you can go through the entire diet & start over from scratch if you have more to lose. Some people actually enjoy detox (it was doable for me but I can't imagine doing a full 9 days of it ever again). They plan to stay on detox until they reach goal, some allowing themselves a meal or day off for special occasions, just to jump back on detox. You could probably stick to Phase II for the long-term since it's so much like what you eat now.

After the many diets I've tried since I started gaining in my 40's, this is the first one that I feel I can do for life with reaching goal and maintaining to keep it off. It offers choices but has guidelines you should stick to (which I need so I don't go crazy - I'm a binge eater). Many programs don't get into the exercise aspect of weight loss but FS offers guidelines for this (although I have my own exercise regime because I have bad knees).

If nothing else, this might cause you to start losing again. I'd say you should give it a try. The book is inexpensive and you can get valuable info on the Internet. I'm on other forums for FS but this is still my favorite group.

I don't have as much experience with different diets or with FS at all as Judy, but I do have a pretty good understanding of nutritional knowledge, as it's one of my many random hobbies.

Anyway, it looks like what you're eating is all well and good...But if you're plateauing you might want to up your protein in place of the complex carbohydrates (temporarily, even). Since you're exercising, more protein would help create more lean muscle mass, getting rid of fat faster. I've read in multiple sources that aiming for around 55% of your daily calories coming from complex carbs is a good number when trying to lose weight.

So, if you don't eat pork or beef, try adding some lean protein, say chicken or skim milk perhaps to your diet in place of some carbs. And if you're relying on cheese for protein in your diet, maybe switch to a healthier version (if you aren't already eating one).

I'm sure it'll come off, you've come so far already

Thank you for all the info Judy, I have heard alot about plans that have you detoxing first which I really need to do.

Sweet Talker - The protein idea makes alot of sense because there is NO WAY I get enough. I was thinking about next paycheck going and getting a blender to where I could do protein smoothies, and get some whey protein and maybe slip it into my oatmeal as well.

Thanks you all.. now if I can just get a hold of this book!