Hi and welcome!
You can probably lose weight without changing what you are eating now. Fitday.com is a free site where you can enter all your intake. Learn to measure as you scoop out your helping of whatever your family is eating. You'll soon learn more about the nutrient content of your food and then we'll help you make slimmer choices!

I can tell you personally, Atkins works! However, you must do it correctly! Get the book (Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution) and read it from cover to cover so you understand how & why this plan works. Do NOT eat anything that is not allowed. Get some moderate exercise. Drink a lot of water. Take a good multivitamin. And above all else, don't ever think of this as a diet you can go off of once you lose the weight! If you really want this to work, you MUST make this a lifestyle change!

I've been on the Atkins plan nearly 3 years and have lost over 100 lbs. It works!

You CAN do this!!

All the best to you!!

Kim

No "diet" has worked for me, because I don't want to be banned from eating certain foods. What helped was changing my mentality, like JerseyGirl said, to making a lifestyle change...something that is sustainable for the rest of my life. I eat a clean diet of foods closest to their natural state, tons of fruits and veggies, whole grains, and lean protein sources. I eat fruit and yogurt for dessert instead of other sugary options. When I go out to eat, I never order an appetizer, eat less than half of my entree, and very rarely get dessert...and if I do, I make sure there are people to share with! You will find so many options on this site, and what it comes down to is finding something that works for you. But, if you find yourself saying "I can't wait until this diet is over!", it's not something that you will maintain for the long term. It's important to find a plan that makes you happy and confident you can succeed. You don't necessarily need to completely overhaul everything at once. Just take small steps towards a better lifestyle...these changes add up! Good luck, we'll be supporting you whatever you decide!

Greetings! I'm a calorie counter. I don't eat as "wholesomely" as meg on a mission does--I can't be fussing a lot with food and shopping. I also don't have to cook for a family. So, my plan involves a lot of Lean Cuisine meals. It's the "poor Chick's Jenny Craig" But I eat other things as well--I eat an average of 1300 cals per day and including exercise, burn an average of 2000 cals per day, and over time that has produced the weight loss you see below (roughly 1.2 pounds per week).

So as you see, no matter which plan you choose, you can lose weight if you stick to it. Give any plan a couple of weeks at least of being really consistent before you decide whether it's working. Many times folks post that they are not losing weight on a plan, and it turns out they are staying with it EXCEPT for X, Y, Z, etc.

Good luck! Let us know what you come up with!

Jay

... I have tried the Atkins and the South Beach diet and while I did lose 10 pounds in only a few days I couldn't maintain the diet because I tired of what I was eating. Of the two I preferred the South Beach. Atkins allows you to eat bacon and all the red stuff. South Beach is allows a little more room to eat what you like, but it focuses on eating Lean meats and fish.. less on the cheeses and red meats and such.

If you think that either of those diets are something you can maintain then I say go for it. The way you have to look at it is a lifestyle change. If you lose all kinds of weight on Atkins what will you do once you have lost your weight? Will you be able to maintain the way you eat or will you just say, "I finished my diet; I can eat what I want."

For me, it is about eating healthy and exercising. I am not counting every calorie. I am watching what I put in my mouth. You know what foods aren't good for you.. so cut down on them.

I appreciate all of your suggestions and comments.

I have been on a healthy eating plan since the beginning of the year. By healthy I mean... not fast food & no soda. I have cut way back on sweets and have started eating whole grain breads and pastas. I try very hard not to eat after 7pm, too. In other words, I have completely changed the way that I am eating. I am also exercising more than I have in a long time.

I am just frustrated that I am not seeing a difference in my weight, though. I thought by changing so many things for the better, that I would. That is why I thought that maybe I needed to try a real "diet" instead. I just don't know which one.

I did sign up for the 1-week trial of Weight Watchers online and see how that goes. (Today is the first day) Maybe that will help. If he seems to, then I may go ahead and sign up for a month and go from there.

I have been reading a lot on the WW site and getting some tips, too.

Thanks again for your help.

Welcome,
I've tried them all WW, Atkins, Nutrisystem, eating Lean cuisine meals, Slimfast, liquids only I lost then when I stopped the diet, I gained. Then I read YOU on a diet and learned how my body works. That changed my way of thinking. NO MORE DIETS FOR THIS 46 YEAR OLD WOMAN. After I came to 3fatchicks and read Glory's success story I read SuperfoodsRX and Superfoods Healthstyle by Dr. Pratt and fond my place with healthy good for me foods. My new healthstyle includes the superfoods and no processed, , no HFCS, , no sugar(real or artificial), only good for me healthy whole foods. Good luck to you on your journey to health.