So recently I have been thinking about my gut flora and how that may effect my weight.

My story is basically that I never lost weight properly (like 2 lbs per week) until I went on a diet plan that strictly forbid me from having anything but its food. And I did that for 6 months and I lost weight easily for the first time. I am suspecting that outside food may disrupt my gut flora. I am targeting candy or any sort of processed treat. Which although not high in calories may drastically change the gut flora.

This year I have struggled and I have not be 100% clean.. although about 90% clean. Loss has been extremely slow or not at all.

So my question(s) to you:
(1) if you are currently on a diet, is your loss slow? If yes, does your diet include some small processed / sugar type food. Such as a small piece of candy once and a while (even if dark) or are you 100% clean - defined as eating almost 100% different than you might have before.

(2) if you are currently on a diet, is your loss fast or decent? If yes, same question as above. Do you indulge in prior foods on occasion or are you very clean / eat very differently than before.

Other questions... does anyone suspect that a certain food / foods destroys your dieting ability for days on end? I have long suspected that any candy does that to me... but I keep going back to it.

What do you think?

My diet is about 80% clean/unprocessed. The only thing I have eliminated almost entirely from my diet is grains, especially wheat. (I have experimented with eating gluten-free non-wheat grains but even these tend to give me a mild stomach ache and the scale always come to a standstill for a few days after I eat them.) Since making these changes - unprocessed and wheat free - I feel much healthier and my weight loss is averaging about 2 pounds a week. I am definitely carb sensitive and gluten intolerant, which all relates to inflammation and gut flora.

Throughout all of my weight loss, I used calorie counting. No food or food type was off limits. As long as it fit into my daily calorie budget, I could eat it. I ate a wide, varied diet without worrying about being "clean". My weight loss was generally steady, with the exception of two plateaus that lasted several weeks along the way. I did notice that as I got closer to goal, the pounds started coming off more slowly.

My loss so far has been decent, 50 lbs in 4 months, but I have a lot to lose which may be why it's been moving along pretty well so far. I cook healthy, high veggie, low-fat meals often, but I also eat out often, or eat things one might not consider "diet" foods. For example, over the last week I had two slices of pizza one evening, and yesterday was my sons b-day so I ate 1/2 a cupcake. I realize for some, complete restriction of certain foods is essential for success. For me it seems to be just the opposite, when I feel restricted I lose control. So I eat what I want, but not as much of it as I was before losing weight, It's been helpful for me to stay within 1500 calories by tracking my intake.
I hope you identify the problem so that it can be corrected! Good luck!

I think perhaps I have one food that drastically hurts me and always has... chocolate candy. That is it. I can have bread.. (although not a ton of it) and carbs (although not a ton of it) and be ok. But, just like 2 Hershey nuggets can really derail me for a week or so.

Also, I was thinking about how when I was on the weight loss plan how much more healthy other parts of my body were.... like my hair was more thick. I thought that might be related to water (the plan was a lot of shakes) but I am not finding it this year when I am about 90% compliant.