I lost a lot of weight a couple of years ago just by eating healthily with sensible portion sizes using no particular diet plan. I have never tried counting calories, and the low fat or low carb diets made me feel really tired.
This is the plan I followed.
Breakfast: Porridge (sometimes with dried fruit on top, but more often not).
Lunch: a small amount of chicken, a lot of salad with nuts and seeds on top, and a piece of fruit. Sometimes I would have soup, bread and fruit instead.
Dinner: healthily cooked meat/fish with a small portion of carbohydrates (pasta/potatoes/cous cous/bulgar wheat etc) and lots of veggies. I wouldn't usually have a pudding.
In the early stages of the diet I had planned snacks in the mid-morning and when I got home from work such as a piece of malt loaf, fruit and nuts, small bag of plain popcorn. I later cut these out when I hit a plateau.
Other than my fatal flaw (crisps / chips) I could eat any food, but in moderation. I could have that sticky pudding when I go out to a restaurant with friends, or have a takeaway meal, but the next day I would have to cut back somewhere to compensate. However, I would never miss a meal because then I would feel hungry and tempted to binge.
I planned to eat oily fish, nuts, seeds, veggies and fruit because they are all good for you, but I would eat the fattier of these foods in moderation. UNlike other diets I tried in the past, with this plan I didn't have cravings (I think because I was eating so well), and I consistently lost weight.
Now that I am back to my highest weight, I am thinking of doing the same kind of diet again. Is anyone else out there doing something similar?