First time dieter, needs help choosing a plan!
 

Hello everyone,

My name is Jessica, and I live in Toronto, Canada. I'm 28 years old, 5'2" and I weigh 151 pounds (down from ~160 earlier this year!).

I'm really excited about joining this community. I know that I function better with support from like-minded people, and it's great knowing that many of you are willing to help people start a new diet or help others through tough moments.

Since I'm so new to this, I'm still confused about which diet/plan/program/approach will work best for me, and I'm absolutely open to any advice people give me.

I have never been super skinny, but I used to be far more athletic than I am now. In my teens and early twenties I was a competitive sailor - it was my life, and fitness was never a problem for me. When I was sailing regularly, I was around 130-140 pounds.

In university, I got sick and lost 15 pounds, but the weight started creeping back right away. I now spend all day in front of a computer (working in an office), and I have gotten used to a pretty sedentary lifestyle in general.

Two months ago, I got sick of looking so fat (I have terrible body image issues) and decided to do something about it. Unfortunately, I have no idea which diet/plan will work best for me, so I'm considering going to a weight loss professional, but I'd prefer to do it on my own (without spending a ton of money that I don't have).

I'm currently counting calories and focusing on eating healthier food as often as possible. I have eliminated most sugary or starchy foods (as well as most processed foods), and I've gotten over my obsession with massive portion sizes. I think I was addicted to the "full" feeling I got when I over-ate, but I think I'm learning to control that impulse. I'm also trying to get 20-30 minutes of exercise in every day.

I'm traveling to Europe in the middle of July, and I'm doing a long bike trip through Italy. My goal is to be 15 pounds lighter and a *lot* more fit by the time I get there (so I can handle biking 40k in one day). Does this seem realistic?

Hi Jessica and welcome! Since you have been having success with calorie counting, why not just continue with that? It's one of the most popular plans around here - it's free, it's flexible, and it's simple (not to be confused with easy!). I've lost all of my weight with calorie counting. I also exercise, but as is said around here often - diet for weight loss, exercise for fitness.

I think your goal of 15 pounds by mid July may be challenging, but I think it's do-able. Since the bike ride is the main goal, if I were you I would focus on building up my cycling stamina and continue with the calorie counting. Even if you don't hit 15 lbs, it will still be 8 or 10 or 12 - and that is the right direction!

That sounds like an amazing trip, I'm jealous.

Yeah I was going to say that it seems that the most successful group are the calorie counters (or plans that are calorical controlled like weight watchers, etc).

Best of luck!

Thanks for the welcome!

I'm going to continue counting calories, but I've also been giving the South Beach Diet some thought. I downloaded the book, and since I'm definitely an "apple" (rather than a "pear"), I thought that it might help me more than simple calorie counting. I love starches (especially bagels, pasta and delicious fresh bread!), but I know they're bad for someone like me.

I've been thinking of following the South Beach Diet while continuing with calorie counting, just to be sure that I don't end up over-eating.

And yes, the trip is probably the best decision I ever made. It has given me the motivation I needed to get off my butt and start working out and eating properly again.