There are just so many diets out there. I am 43 first time dieter. I have bought into the "lifestyle change" mentality not a diet plan and I have found that does not work for me. I need to be on a diet. I need a plan. So....I started looking into diets..my neighbor has done really well on the Ideal Proteirn Diet...looks good but is that for me? How do I determine what would be good for me? I think I would do good on a plan..tell me what to eat and I will eat it. I don't think I could do caloire counting to hard to keep track. It will be my first diet ever so something not too challanging. I do enjoy working out and will do it three to four times a week. Any suggestions? Thanks!

I might not be the one to answer this the best, but for me trying and failing and then trying again seems to be the way to go. I started off on a Low Calorie Diet, and next week I'm changing it up to Low Carb Diet. Simply because Low Calorie doesn't seem to have much effect on me

Good luck, and happy new year!

Annie

http://299lbs.wordpress.com/

Well, I would ask you to really reconsider calorie counting. It's really not hard at all, once you get used to it. If you check out the calorie counting group here, you will see an incredible amount of (long term) success stories.

However, if you are really not interested, then how about just cutting out certain foods that you know aren't helping you? You can cut out fast food, refined sugar, processed foods and eat a whole foods kind of diet that has a heavy emphasis on veggies and lean meats and fish. I would suggest to avoid white stuff like pasta (you can use whole wheat), white rice (brown rice is better), and white bread (whole wheat is better).

Start by making small changes every day and after a while, those changes will add up. Also, studies show that people who keep a food log are much more likely to lose weight and keep it off. The same goes for people who make exercise and keeping active a part of their lives.

I hope you will find what works for you. Everyone is SO different. For me, I realize that I can't avoid carbs, but I must avoid them in the morning. I know that I have trigger foods that lead me to binge, so I avoid those foods completely. I know that if I work out in the morning, I'm more focused on my goals all day long. It's a trail and error situation so if you ever go off plan (which is common), the key is to get right back up again. It's more about consistency than anything else.

I am not the person to ask, either as I am a calorie counter, BUT I have tried many diets and found calorie counting works best for me, and I agree with luckymommy , it really is not hard to do. For you, however, the best diet for you is the one that you will follow. It is OK to experiment until you find what works best for you. Good luck.

Before you jump into doing anything I'd suggest reading through some diet/nutrition books and discovering what rings true. I have success with a very low carb (less than 30 grams per day)/moderate-to-high fat/high protein diet. But if you're in love with wheat (or rice or oatmeal) loe-carbing will be far more difficult in the long term. Look for nutrition (NOT diet) books that discuss science and methods and you should eventually find something that sounds right.

Really all diets involve calorie restriction and portion control.
Some people have luck doing the calorie counting at first and when you get used to it, you can "eyeball" your portion sizes.
I suggest you make a list of good, healthy foods that you like and will eat (don't force yourself to eat something you don't like just because you think it's a "diet" food), figure out the calories in the foods and go from there.
Cut out processed foods and resturant foods as much as possible.
Don't drink your calories (i.e. sodas, juice, alcohol, sweetened coffees, tea, etc.).

Be positive and good luck

Hey KDWS, How much weight are you looking to lose? This plan your friends are on, (never heard of it BTW) is it expensive? Do you have to buy a special product to follow it? You say you have "bought" into a "lifestyle" change and it's not for you, but I have to ask, (sorry if I seem rude, I'm really just curious), how do you think this Ideal Protein diet will work (long term) if you don't change your lifestyle?

There are a lot of new glamorous words that describe dieting these days, I think to make people feel better about themselves, but whatever you call your plan, you simply MUST change your lifestyle to make it work. Know what I mean? You can't just keep living your life they way you are now and expect the pounds to melt and STAY off.

Anyway, enough preaching. I'm a calorie counter and I love it because it's free. I feel as though I have paid out enough money to the food and diet industry over the years and it's time to pay myself back. So that's why I chose calorie counting. I have found great joy in spending the money that I have saved on diet plans on a very cute and fun entire new (and expanding) wardrobe.

Good luck. I hope that whatever you decide, you make it work for you...and for life.

Hi KDWS -
I'm not going to preach to you about how I think you should lose weight, so if you don't like to count calories, try Nutrisystem. It is super easy and you just eat the food they give you (plus some easy add-ins from the store, like salad). It is spendy, but it works very well, and anyone can follow it. The only draw back is that it gets boring after a while. But, it is brainless, a monkey could do it. Best of luck.

Another vote for calorie counting and portion control!

Look into Body for Life. It is a lifestyle change but gives you a specific list of foods to eat. It teaches how to combine foods (you eat 6 small meals a day consisting of a protein and a carb and workout regularly. It is very specific on the workouts. No calorie counting and easy to follow. There is a lot of food prep but well worth it.

I'm just going to echo this statement. I can't tell you how many times I've dieted and then gained it all back simply because I reverted back to what I was doing before. Just a little heads up, since you say this is your first time dieting. I'm not saying diets won't work, but you're going to have to find a way to maintain. That may be easier once the weight has come off since you'll need less food, but you'll never go back to what you're doing now without gaining it all back.

Anyway, I'm a calorie counter too and maybe you don't care for it, but I do find it easy, especially after some of the numbers get suck in your head (apple, 80c; bread 90c; banana 100c; etc.) But you can always sign up for a site like The Daily Plate (now Livestrong.com) that has a database of foods and will keep track of the calories for you. It's also the most freeing for me because I don't have to pay anyone and the numbers are so easily accessible. I just keep a notepad and take a glance at the labels. It's easy once you get into the habit. But then, that's me.

You might find interest in something called 'intuitive eating', where you eat just what you feel you need. ...Though it might take more diligence than counting calories, especially if you're trying to lose weight.

Instead of a "lifestyle change" I need a plan. Lifestyle change is too broad for me calorie counting is also too broad for me...although for maintenace once I lost weight I could see that working for me. I like the idea of a list of foods I can eat and a list of foods I can not eat. Again I do well with a plan. It is too much of a slippery slope for me with calorie counting...I will have the McD sweet tea but then not have lunch..save the calories for a hot fudge sundae and then I am off to...well I will start tomorrowville! I also need results..the two pounds a week just does not keep me motivated. I have done the watch what you eat eliminate fast food and lost 10 lbs but it took two months and I lost motivation not seeing results quick enough...I would like to and really need to lose 50lbs so I need to stay motivated!!

You are taking my statement re lifestyle change too literally...I am not ignorant I know that I will have to change my way of eating but I think I need more of a plan rather then a broad change your life style plan...I do watch what I eat I do watch my portion control and I have stopped gaining weight but I am not losing weght. I have maintained my weight albeit overweight for years I need to drop weight!

I am a calorie counter. BUT I have a plan ALONG with the calorie counting. I have a plan and I have RULES that I abide by. I map out my food schedule in advance, always knowing where the next meal/snack is coming from. I have DEFINITE NO's. Things that I will not touch. THAT"S how I stay away from the fast food and the junk food.

So basically for me, I can't just count any old calories, where those calories come from really, really, REALLY MATTERS. I need to count HEALTHY, NUTRITIOUS calories. I can't spend my calories on those 100 calorie packs and the such. Also leaving sugar-y/flour-y type foods in my diet would have caused me to have more cravings and desires for those type foods, and they're foods that I over ATE a LOT, so I needed to pretty much eliminate them, VERY strict in the beginning in fact. They were foods that I just couldn't or wouldn't stop eating once I started - my solution therefore was not to START in the first place. Do away with them, make them absolute and definite NO's took away the chance that I would over eat them. Problem solved!!

I need to get the biggest bang for my buck so to speak. I need lots of volume and filling power from my calories. So counting calories ALONE wouldn't have worked for me. I need the combo of the calorie counting + a focus on whole foods. So those calories strictly come from lean proteins, no fat dairy product (yogurt) fiber - tons of veggies, some fruits. I don't even do well the health-ier grains (whole wheat). But we're all different.

That's my plan. Customized and made especially for me.

I did want to add that perhaps you'd do well on the South Beach Diet. But many people also need the combination of the south beach diet + the calorie counting. Because even healthy foods can cause weight gain if overeaten. That calorie counting is built in accountability and portion control. Slams the door shut on overeating.