Here's an article with some helpful ideas for weight loss when you're coming up with your own plan:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20093131/

It's evidently from someone at Prevention. What do you all think about this article's content?

Jay

I havent read it all yet but thanks Jay its great!

most of the stuff I already do but its got good tips

and yep its true i have tried a diet book and never ever stuck to it but i kinda eat some of the foods out the book in my own diet but because its my own way its easier to stick to

I think it is exellent. This is pretty much what I do. I WILL NOT spend hard earned dollars for someone to tell me what to eat.Been there, done that, I basically count calories, watching out for carbs and sodium.

Thanks for this. I think there are definitely some worthwhile tips here, just what I was looking for!

I could have written this article, in fact (minus the part about the protein) I have discussed all this, down to the gold stars (I give myself a blue star on the days I get everything done - blue is my favorite color) in my blog.

What people need to realize, that this isn't a diet. A diet is a quick fix solution, so you can look good for a reunion, or a date, or whatever. This is a lifestyle change. Can you see yourself following Atkins, South Beach, etc 20 years from now?

I also like to read the various diet out there, and just grab some ideas from them and incorporate them into my plan. But then, I also like to read success stories for inspiration.

I am self-educated when it comes to my diet. Everything this article mentioned, and many more I discuss in my blog (it's more of an ebook, as its 10 pages long) I have learned on my own

I thought the advice to use diet shakes and bars was interesting. I've always avoided them because they are not "real food" and tend to be pretty calorie-dense (not much satisfaction for the calorie). Maybe I'll check them out now.

Hey Kilketay,

Not all shakes and bars are created equal, that's for sure. I think the article gave guidelines for the kind to look for. I like the Kashi bars--they aren't so much like a candy bar with protein.

Jay

Just to put my two cents in - I have gotten into huge trouble with breakfast bars, including the Kashi. I bought a case of them from Amazon. I thought I would be eating something good for me, but I started in on them and didn't stop until they were all gone. Yikes!

I think the problem is that I keep on thinking that they are good for me (maybe somewhat true) but, what they really are is a trigger food. Same with stuff like slim-fast. It tastes like chocolate milk to me and I can't leave it alone.

I have definitely designed my own diet. My aim is to eat food with few additives, lots of fresh fruit and veggies, low fat dairy and meat and whole grains. I watch my portions. This probably sounds pretty familiar to most of you.

One of the things I read is that I need to be able to adapt the things that I like to eat to a healthier life style. I have had some sucess with this. I now have one salad dressing I really like and a sort of invented recipe for spaghetti (WW), and sauce (ground turkey meat) that I really like - no sacrafice here. I do just fine with yogurt or low fat sour cream or buttermilk on my baked or mashed potatoes. I am currently trying to develop a blue cheese salad dressing. I don't require lots of blue cheese - just a little for flavoring, but I like a nice creamy base.

My plan for a reward is to get some high quality perfume or lotion, instead of rewarding myself with food. Only glitch in this plan is that I made a promise to myself that I must use up all of my current cosmetics before buying anything new. I may have to delay gratification for a while!!!

Hey gailr,

It's true... the bars aren't for everyone. I don't have trouble leaving them alone, but if I did they wouldn't be in the house.

Good for you for coming up with your own recipes!

Jay

I think it was a good article. I think you absolutely must personalize your diet to be successful because this is for life.

I did have a minor dispute over this statement though "Fruits and vegetables, which are 80 to 95% water, are good additions, as are air-filled foods, such as puffed cereal instead of flat flakes."

I thought puffed cereals were not a good idea, because you get less cereal per cup than other cereals (and I also think of things like cocoa puffs, captain crunch, etc when they say puffed cereal)

This time around, I've come up with my own plan, rather than go on some fad diet as I had before. I just made healthier choices, such as eating fruit instead of a chocolate bar (but I will have one of those hundred-calorie ones when I really need a chocolate fix!), eating Subway instead of Burger King when I want fast food, and biking to my softball game instead of driving if the field isn't too far. I exercise regularly except when sick or in pain. I practically never fry anything anymore. I used to eat poutine all the time (for those non-Canadians: fries, gravy, and cheese) but have it now as a rare treat. Very rare.

This comes straight from Volumetrics. Barbara Rolls at the University of Pennsylvania did a study of how much people ate after consuming various types of foods. She found that high volume foods (puffed cereal, pop corn) made people feel fuller and eat less per calorie consumed than the non-puffed varieties.

That's crazy! I just assumed since the flake cereals were heavier they would make you fuller because you would get more weight per cup. Interesting....

Re: puffed cereals, well... that really depends on the cereals. That puffed stuff 'for kids' (poor kids...), I doubt it'll make you feel as full as a bowl of All Bran's. On the contrary, some brands may indeed offer the opposite effect.

^ What brands would those be?